Nine Demon Gates
by Letting go of Fate
Summary: In a modern world where magic is only known to those that can use it, Lucille (Lucy) Heartfillia lives in the shadows believing that her powers were a curse. A curse that takes her blood as sacrifice and allows her to open gates to an entirely different world. Bound to her Master through debt, will her fate change once she meets Fairy Tail? AU
1. Demon Gate of the Hell Hound

**Nine Demon Gates**

 **Summary:** In a modern world where magic is only known to those that can use it, Lucille (Lucy) Heartfillia lives in the shadows believing that her powers were a curse. A curse that allows her to open gates to an entirely different world. A curse that takes her blood as sacrifice when she speaks the cursed words. (NaLu/LaLu)

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail, only Hiro Mashima does.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"Laxus! Come to my office!" Makarov bellowed from the top of the stairs. The blonde man sitting by the bar grumbled as he left his beer behind and made his way to his grandfather's office. Opening the door and closing it a little too loudly, the man took a seat in front of Makarov's desk.

"What do you want Gramps?" Laxus grumbled. He was having a very nice 'conversation' with a redheaded mundane. Seeing as the guild doubled as a bar for those who weren't mages, they often had the magic-less folk walking in for a casual drink. Or in this case a casual hook-up.

"The Council has asked us to investigate a recent series of deaths involving some high profile businessmen," Makarov explained, pushing a manila folder towards the muscular blonde man. Laxus opened the folder to peruse its contents.

His brow furrowed, "These just look like animal attacks. What do they need us for?" The photos taken by the criminal investigators showed the men completely ripped to shreds. Body parts that were still intact were riddled with large claw and bite marks. It looked just like they were attacked by a wild animal…

"Take a closer look my boy," Makarov insisted. "Do those look like ordinary animal attacks to you?"

Laxus looked more intently at the photos. There _was_ something a little off about them. He couldn't see much of the surroundings, but it looked as if these men were killed in their homes or their offices as the floor looked to either be hardwood or some sort of expensive carpet. Additionally, there didn't seem to be any animal prints around the bodies despite the large amount of blood involved.

"Fine. There's something off about this." Laxus admitted. "So the Council thinks a mage was involved?"

Makarov nodded, "This request was sent directly to Fairy Tail. They asked for us to perform our own investigation."

"Do they have any leads?" Laxus asked.

"Not particularly, but they do think they know who might be targeted next," Makarov showed his grandson another photo. "This is Robert Sharp. He's the CEO of a high-profile electronics manufacturer. The culprit seems to be targeting similar top executives from other large corporations."

"Why just him then?"

"We don't know exactly, but the Council said that Sharp has recently increased his own personal bodyguards exponentially as if he is afraid of something," Makarov said. "The Council thinks that Sharp may have had some dealings with a dark guild, simply believing they were a regular mafia group. They think that he hasn't paid up, which was a similarity between the other killed men. A personal threat to his own person seems like the next step a 'mafia' would take. Thus the added bodyguards."

Laxus groaned, "Mundanes. They only see what they want to see. This is what they get for being ignorant."

"Laxus, you know they can't help it. Those who don't have the affinity for magic simply _cannot_ see," Makarov stressed.

Laxus sighed, "Ya I know, but this is annoying. Why are we even helping this man? Seems to me like he deserves it. Can't be up to any good if he's dealing with a dark guild. Even to mundanes they appear like the underworld mafia."

"Because it's our responsibility as mages to protect those that can't protect themselves, you know that!" Makarov scolded. "Now hurry up. Night is approaching. The culprit only attacked his previous victims under the cover of the night."

"Hai Hai…" Laxus grumbled. With a flash of lightning, the mage disappeared from the office.

* * *

A dark hooded figure, dressed entirely in black, stood poised on the rooftop of the towering high rise in the center of Magnoila city. Here she waited for the right opportunity to 'take care' of her next target. Apparently this one hasn't paid up in a while. Just like all the others she had 'taken care' of in the past few months. What a shame. To think these men had it all and were willing to throw away their lives for just that little bit of extra money. Quite literally in fact.

Well, that's what happens when you deal with the devil.

She knew she should probably feel guilty about killing these men, but the fact is she didn't. They deserved this. They should've known this would be their fate as soon as they signed the contracts.

She took a quick glance at the clock tower down the street before her lips curled into a dark smile.

It's time.

She looked down towards the two cuffs on her wrists. Gifts from her Master to help with her curse. That's right. Her curse. She had felt it within her ever since she was young. This pull towards this unknown force that she was never able to shake. But her Master had helped her deal with the curse. Helped her learn how to use it and told her that if she ever wished to be free, she would need to slowly pay off her debt by working for him. By dealing with the clients that didn't pay up.

The two cuffs on her wrists were made of an odd solid material that she knew nothing about. But, she did know that when she snapped the top clips into place, two pins on each cuff would shoot out, stabbing straight into her wrists. Those pins were strategically placed to stab directly into the veins in her wrists.

Because in order to activate her curse, she needed blood.

Snapping said clips into place, she felt the familiar sting in her wrists. Her eyes hardened as she started to envision the dark looming gates that belonged to a world that was not her own. This one was shaped like it was from the 19th century, except its bars were riddled with claw and bite marks. She held her right hand up in front of her, seemingly against the gate. She 'pushed' it open as she said the now familiar words.

"Open! Demon Gate of the Hell Hound! Cerberus!"

Suddenly in a wisp of dark smoke, a large three headed hound emerged from the darkness, growling intensely. Covered in coarse dark fur, its body was similar in height to her own as it stood in front of her, placing its three heads at eye level with her own. It's dark crimson eyes stared right at her as its long serpent like tail flicked gently behind it.

That's right. She, Lucille Heartfilia, was cursed with the ability to summoning demons.

Lucille smiled gently as one of Cerberus' three heads leaned forward to nuzzle against her cheek. "I missed you too buddy. But it's time for you to get to work." She pulled out a plastic bag from her right jacket pocket. Taking out the large watch inside, she held it out in front of her for Cerberus to sniff. Each of his three heads took turns memorizing the scent belonging to the owner of the watch.

"You catch his scent?" she asked. The hell hound snarled, baring its rows of sharp fangs. "Good. Just like all the other times okay?"

Cerberus was about to head into the building, when suddenly the sky rumbled with thunder and flashed with lightning. She flinched at the sound of a loud crack and turned to see her hell hound suddenly surrounded by a cage made of...lightning? It tried to pass through the cage, but whimpered when it was shocked by the bars.

What the hell is this? How is this even possible? What is going on?

A deep voice suddenly spoke out to her. "Where do you think your little pet is going?" She quickly turned around to find the owner of the voice. She froze when she found a tall blonde man standing only a couple of feet away from her. Where did this man come from? She had checked the entire roof-top when she had arrived to make sure it was empty.

She snarled towards the man. "That's none of your business." Her mind was racing a mile a minute. How did this man get to the roof? She was standing right in front of the only entrance.

The blonde man smirked, "Well, unfortunately, with your recent escapades you _made_ it my business." Laxus had followed the rich, over-privileged man the entire day and ended up positioning himself at a building near the businessman's condominium, watching the man from afar. He was about to complain about being bored when he suddenly felt a surge of magic coming from the high-rise's rooftop. He quickly lightning teleported over to the building only to find some gigantic three headed hound and a hooded figure with a woman's body. He quickly trapped the hound in a lightning cage and approached the figure. Judging by the voice, he was pretty certain that it was a woman.

"Are you with the cops?" Lucille asked him, her voice wary. Her face had remained hidden under her large hood. She couldn't risk getting caught. She would never live to see the light of day if she was. _They_ would make sure of that.

Laxus snorted, "As if I'd ever want to be associated with people like them." Mundane cops couldn't do shit. They were completely useless.

"Then what do you want?" She sassed back.

"I _was_ looking for someone," Laxus started. "But I think I've found them. You see, for the past few months, someone was running around murdering Fiore's top businessmen." He watched as the woman stiffened slightly. Oh he was sure by now that he had the right person. But it wouldn't hurt to have a little fun before he brought her in. "Now, there was something odd about those murders. Each and every one of them were ripped to shreds, looking like a wild animal attack."

Laxus continued as he slowly circled around the woman, watching as she also turned with him. "Except, despite the massive amount of blood left behind, there were no animal prints at the scene." He turned to stop in front of the growling three-headed hound still trapped within his lightning cage. "Well now I think I know why." He leaned his head closer to the bars of the cage.

Lucille growled at him as well, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Laxus turned back to look at the woman. "And why not?"

She let out a pitying laugh, "Because he isn't exactly trapped." Suddenly, Cerberus' formed wavered back into the shadows, diving into the floor of the rooftop. That man must have been pretty stupid to forget the bottom of the cage as well. Within moments, Cerberus had reanimated by her side, canines bared in preparation for battle.

Laxus' eyes were wide open as he realized the beast had escaped his cage. How the hell did he managed to do that? However, he didn't have much time to think as the hound immediately leapt towards him, fangs bared and jaws wide. He quickly dodged the attack, but the beast was back on him with a swipe of its clawed paw. _Shit._ Whatever this oversized dog was, it was fast. If it wasn't for the speed of his own lightning element, he was sure that he would've ended up like all the other businessmen.

Laxus growled as he dodged another bite to his body. He didn't have time for this. He caught sight of the woman trying to make a run for the stairwell. It was time to get rid of this annoying beast. His right fist was suddenly covered in lightning as he punched the three-headed hound head on, sending another burst of lightning through its body. With a large whine, the beast immediately disappeared in a wisp of darkness.

"Cerberus!" Lucille shouted. She had turned back around when she heard his whine just to watch and feel as her demon forcibly returned to where it came from. What just happened? That man…his fist was covered in lightning? How was that possible?

"Are you cursed too?" Her question, asked in the form of a whisper, was seemingly more directed towards herself than towards anyone else.

Laxus' brow furrowed. Cursed? What is this woman talking about? It's magic. Shouldn't she know since she herself can use it?

Shaking she tried to make the last couple of steps towards the stairwell. Her hand was about to turn the doorknob, when a large hand slammed onto the door next to her head. She froze, feeling the man's large presence right behind her. She was trapped.

"Where do you think you're going?" His body was so close that his rough voice reverberated through her body. Her entire body stiffened in response.

She cursed inwardly. This was supposed to be a 'get-in-get-out' kind of mission. She wasn't even supposed to be seen, let alone engage another man. She needed to get out of this and fast. She needed Cerberus back as a diversion.

"Open! Demon Gate of the mmph-" A rough hand immediately covered her mouth before she could finish the incantation.

Laxus' eyes went wide when he registered the words she had spoken. Demon gate?! He had heard of celestial gates, but he didn't think demon gates actually existed. Usually demon summonings required a lot more than just a couple of words spoken so easily like that. Who is this woman?

Laxus didn't have much time to think over that fact as he was suddenly elbowed hard in the stomach. Grunting in slight pain, he was caught off guard and was unable to block the subsequent sweep to his legs, causing him to fall to the ground.

The woman instantly made a run for it, dashing for the edge of the roof as Laxus was still blocking the door to the stairwell. Growing in anger, Laxus sent a bolt of lightning towards her, eliciting a loud cry of pain as she was electrocuted, falling down to her knees.

Lucille was momentarily paralyzed as she felt the residual sparks of electricity running though her system. When she regained her senses, she was forced to strip off her hooded jacket as it was starting to smoke from the lightning, revealing her black strapless corset. She heard shuffling behind her and made the mistake of turning back around to look.

Laxus froze when the woman turned around. A beautiful large breasted blonde woman with wide chocolate coloured eyes was not what he was expecting under that hooded jacket. But what made him freeze was surprisingly not her looks, which was still pretty impressive even by his standards. Instead, his focus was geared towards the mark that was present on the top of her right breast.

He knew that guild mark.

Tartaros.

Taking advantage of the man's hesitation, she scrambled back up towards the ledge of the roof. And without any sort of hesitation, she jumped. She felt herself falling down many stories of the building before envisioning another gate. This time it was midnight blue and shaped like two large feathered wings.

Her right hand held out below her, she shouted the words.

"Open! Demon Gate of the Raven! Naberius!"

Instantly, in another puff of smoke, a large three eyed raven with wide midnight blue wings materialized below her. She landed with bent knees on its soft back just as she neared the ground. Of course, like always, the humans below paid no attention to anything around them and simply ignored the large bird that passed by right above them.

Naberius immediately brought her back up and above the rooftops of the buildings. She circled the high-rise, noting her attacker's face still wide in disbelief. He probably thought she had jumped to her death. Not wanting to stay any longer, she ordered Naberius to take her back to the mansion. She definitely wasn't looking forward to it, but she needed to report her failure this night.

Let's hope she survived the punishment.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** **Welcome!** **This idea had been sitting in the back of my head for the past little while so I've finally decided to turn it into words. Not entirely sure of the direction of this fanfic and how often I'll be able to update this since school is starting to pick up, but I'll try my best. I'm still stuck as to whether this will be a NaLu or a LaLu since the flavours of their respective relationships are so different and** **I love them both** **, so until I decide there will be hints of both. Natsu won't be showing up until a little later though. If you want to let me know what you think so far, feel free to do so!**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	2. The Blood in My Veins

**Chapter 2**

Lucille stared solemnly at the star filled sky as Naberius flew towards the darker areas of Magnolia city. The dark raven had flown this path many times before, bringing her deeper into the crime centrals. Below her, the other humans carried on with their days, not knowing and not caring about anything but themselves. That's what she thought was wrong with this world. Everyone only cared about themselves. And about making money. In this messed up world, money was apparently the be-all and end-all of everything.

Her father was one of those people. Completely obsessed with making money. After her mother had died when she was young, her father had completely changed. Focusing all of his attention on his company, her father had abandoned her to be attended to by the servants. As if the enormous mansion and countless cars and cottages weren't enough, her father continued strive for more. One could never have enough money he said. But, he soon ran out of resources to continue all his ventures. So he did what all the other desperate business men did.

The high profile corporates of society all knew how to play the game. On the forefront, they put on innocent face, basking in all their fame and fortune. But behind closed doors, almost all of them were tied to dark underworld.

And thus, tied to the Baram Alliance.

The Baram Alliance was a tense non-aggression pact between the three prominent mafia present in Fiore consisting of Oracion Seis, Grimore Heart and the most secretive, Tartaros. Only the most prominent businessmen had access to one of the big three; the others simply dealt with their child organizations.

Jude Heartfilia, as one of the richest men in Fiore, had the pleasure of dealing directly with one of the great mafia from the Baram Alliance. And for a while, things went well. Business was booming and the money flowed in…except for when payment was finally due. And of course, like expected, interest was steep. So much so, that like all the others before him, her father was eventually unable to pay them back. So what did he do instead?

He sold off his own daughter. To the most malicious one of them all.

Tartaros.

* * *

Naberius flew closer to the ground as they neared the massive estate. Lucille gazed over the seemingly endless plot of land that hosted an enormous Victorian style castle. The front entrance was decorated with a large round stone fountain and was blocked off by a dark looming gate. Like always, the fountain gargoyle seemed to be watching her as she arrived.

Lucille hopped off her large raven right in front the double doors that led into the castle. The two hooded guards silently opened the doors for her, signaling for her to enter. Naberius disappeared in a wisp of dark shadow as she ventured warily into the mansion.

Almost immediately she was greeted by a loud cackle.

"Heard you messed up today sis!"

A muscular young man greeted the blonde with a dark toothy grin that revealed his sharp canines. On top of his head lay two prominent cat-like ears that matched the colour of his dark blonde hair. Though, she would never say that straight to his face. She was pretty sure that he would kill anyone that even mentioned that his features seemed feline in nature. But despite that, his long fluffy tail definitely reminded her of a cat's.

Lucille snarled back. "Shut up, Jackal." Jackal's inhuman appearance was a nice reminder that she wasn't the only one messed up in this world. That she wasn't entirely crazy for having a curse like hers. She tried to make her way past the demon, but his clawed hand immediately grabbed hold of her arm.

"Mard Geer is expecting you," Jackal said with a sly grin. He quickly noted her slightly frazzled appearance and the missing hooded jacket that she always wore on her missions. Something or rather someone must have messed with her job today. And judging from the slightly fried state of her clothes, it was a mage of some sort.

That wasn't good. Mard Geer wouldn't appreciate any interaction between his precious pet and any mages.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course he is." She allowed herself to be led to the self-proclaimed Underworld King's throne room. Why someone still had a throne room in this day and age she didn't know, but the 'King' was a rather traditional man. Or well demon if she wanted to be particular about the details.

The throne room consisted of a large mostly empty hall with an actual throne situated at one end. Mard Geer's throne was a rather disturbing affair, complete with vine like arms and a back with screaming skulls as decorations. It was freakishly medieval if someone had asked her.

The Underworld King himself was quite a character of his own. Today he was dressed with a frilled black v-neck shirt with light coloured pants and long black jacket. His long wavy black hair was styled in a high ponytail with his bangs covering one of his eyes as his head rested on a closed fist that was situated on one of the arms of his throne.

The other eye was open and looking down at her with a calculating stare. She quickly bowed her head and placed her hands neatly in front of her as she waited for his instruction.

"Lucille," Mard Gard said. His voice dark and silky as he called out her name.

"Hai Master," Lucille replied, emotionless. Despite the fact that she was scared to the bone, there was no advantage in appearing weak to her Master. That would only infuriate him more.

"Tell me. What happened tonight?" The King's voice was calm, but she knew better than to assume that he wasn't angry with her. She could hear Jackal's snickering from behind her, but she wouldn't dare turn around to send him a glare.

Lucille began to recall what happened. "I was interrupted by a man. He was just like me." Her voice paused for a moment. "Cursed." Her voice dripped with acid over that one word.

She dared to glance up at the demon's face, only to notice his deep set frown.

"And what was his curse my pet?" Mard Geer asked her gently. It amused the demon that his little pet still referred to her magic as a curse. of course, she had no idea how truly powerful real curses were. Curses employed by his own demons of the Underworld.

Her brows furrowed as she tried to explain what she had saw. "He controlled the lightning from sky. It enveloped his body like a cloak. He attacked Cerberus and I before we could get to the target."

"Were you hurt?" The King inquired. Lucille never understood why he always asked this question. He was never concerned for her safety whenever _he_ was the one dealing out the punishment.

Her eyes stayed locked on to the demon's onyx coloured eyes, too afraid to look away. "No. Just stunned."

The next question frightened her to the core. "Did he see your face? Our mark?" Given her currently state of dress, she figured that the King already knew this answer. And yet, she knew he found pleasure in making her squirm in fear.

She finally broke eye contact as she turned her head back towards the floor.

"Yes." The word came out in a whisper.

"Why didn't you kill him?" His voice was starting to take on a darker tone. Her breathing slowly picked up in anticipation of the punishment that was almost certain to come.

"I couldn't. I was…too weak. I didn't have enough blood to summon Cerberus again after the man had forced him back the first time," she confessed reluctantly, her head turned to the side in shame.

Her Master paused for longer than she had expected. She stood there, eyes glued to the floor as she awaited her punishment. Mard Geer hated it when she was weak. He often told her that he had no use for pets that were weak. Those that lacked power were almost always 'disposed' of.

His voice returned to its gentle form, which only served to frighten her even more. "Then my pet, I have a gift for you." A gift? Why was she receiving a gift when she had messed up? Her head snapped upwards as she searched her Master's face for answers. But all she was graced with was that demented smile of his.

Suddenly a crimson red sphere materialized in Mard Geer's right hand. Its contents swirled gently inside in a thick and fluid motion.

She couldn't help but ask. "W-What is that?"

He gave her another sly smile, "This my dear pet, is a blood lacrima."

Lacrima...? What's a lacrima?

Before she could get in anymore questions, her Master signalled to Jackal who was still standing behind her. Suddenly she felt the demon's clawed hands pushing down on her shoulders as she was forced down onto her knees.

"Master, what's going on?!" Lucille asked, her panic and fear finally showing. Her eyes darted around for any indication of escape, but she knew that if she tried, Jackal would have her blown into pieces before she could even take a step.

She watched with her eyes wide in fright as Mard Geer stepped off his throne to stand before her with the 'Blood Lacrima'.

"Why my dear, Mard Geer is going to give you your gift." His deranged smile never left his face as he held the crimson sphere in front of her left breast, right over her heart. "This gift will make you stronger. In fact, you will never run out of blood again."

What the hell did he mean?! That's impossible! There's only so much blood her body can handl-

Lucille's ear piercing screams suddenly filled the air as Mard Geer plunged the blood lacrima straight into her heart. Immediately, she felt pain shooting throughout her entire body while her heart seized and spasmed. She thrashed uncontrollably as she tried to accommodate the sudden rush of an unexplained force into her body. If Jackal wasn't now holding her arms behind her, she was sure she would've tried to claw the thing back out of her.

She didn't know how long she was in pain for. It came in waves, crashing over her body and receding slightly, only to return twice as strong. She was stuck in this state for what felt like forever until finally it lessened. In its place was a feeling that she didn't quite understand. But whatever it was, it enveloped her and made her feel…strong.

Alive.

She vaguely heard words being spoken as she collapsed to the floor in a sweaty heap. "Jackal, take her to her room."

Her heavy breathing finally returned to normal as the rest of the pain subsided, leaving her gasping softly in Jackal's arms. She could feel his clawed hands tighten around her body each time it spasmed from the residual energy still lingering within her. She attempted to curl up further into herself as she laid her head against his chest.

She could feel the light growl emanating from his chest.

"Jackal…" She flinched as her voice came out hoarse. Must have been from all the screaming. "What happened?"

Jackal spoke through gritted teeth, "I don't know." As much as he disliked to admit, he had grown fond of the human girl ever since her arrival more than ten years ago. She was like a sister to him. He hated it whenever that heartless demon messed with Lucille like this. Even more so, since the poor girl had no idea what it was that Mard Geer was doing to her in the first place. Hell, she didn't know anything outside of her life at Tartaros. She had basically grown up here.

In this demented guild full of demons.

But seeing as Mard Geer was their 'King' he couldn't refuse his orders, nor could he show that he cared. And so, just like all the other times, her screams had practically pierced through his sensitive ears as he was forced to watch.

Mard Geer's obsession with the blonde had started ever since her magic settled in many years ago and he had discovered his little 'pet' had the ability to summon demons. True demons. Not the false ones like they were. After realizing her powers, Mard Geer had been training her to kill. In no time, she had become his personal assassination machine.

But both Jackal and Mard Geer knew she was limited. There was only so much blood a human could lose when summoning demons. And boy were they greedy. That's why the Underworld King had their resident scientist Lamy scrounge up that blood lacrima. With that in her system now, she should have no trouble summoning Greater demons. Hell, if she got strong enough, she may even be able to summon the true Nine Demon Gates of hell.

She was already able to summon their gate keeper, Cerberus.

Lucille had fallen asleep in his arms by the time they had reached her room. Jackal placed her down gently on her large medieval styled four poster bed. He gently brushed away a sweat covered bang from her forehead as he took in her soft features illuminated by the moonlight shining in from her large window.

Jackal snarled when he noticed the dark, crimson coloured scar that now curled around the side of her left breast in the shape of two intertwined vines of thorns.

She wasn't going to like that one.

* * *

Laxus stormed angrily into his grandfather's office when he returned to the guild, slamming the door shut. He couldn't believe that he let a simple woman slip through his fingers. If he wasn't so stunned by her guild affiliation and her innocent face she'd be caught by now. A girl like that definitely didn't look like she belonged to a guild like Tartaros.

Makarov looked up from his paper work, taking note of the frustrated state his grandson was in. "Did you find the culprit?"

Laxus grunted, as he plopped down into an arm chair "Ya. It was a mage alright."

it was as he suspected. Makarov sat in thought for a moment before asking, "What sort of magic did he use?"

" _She_ ," Laxus stressed. _"-_ used some sort of summoning magic that not even I've seen before."

"She?" Makarov hadn't expected that the perpetrator of such violent murders would be a woman.

Laxus rolled his eyes, "I think I'd know a woman when I see one Gramps."

Something didn't add up, Makarov thought to himself. "How did she get inside those offices without getting caught?"

"Like I said, Gramps. She used some form of summoning magic." Laxus replied. "She didn't need to be in those offices. She sent her hound in."

"Her hound?"

Laxus growled as he recalled his earlier fight with the woman. If he could even call it that. "The woman summoned a goddamn demon hell-hound out of thin air." He watched as his grandfather's eyebrows shot towards the roof. "If I wasn't there to hear her chant the incantations I never would've believed it myself either."

"That's impossible," Makarov's expression grew serious. "There hasn't been a mage that could summon a demon that easily in ages. Demon summonings are extremely dark rituals that require an incredible amount of blood."

"There _was_ blood involved," Laxus interjected. "Except it was her own blood. I could smell it in the air." By the end of the fight, the scent of her blood practically cloaked the entire roof-top. He wouldn't forget that scent even if he tried to.

"Summoning a demon with just one mage's blood?!" Makarov shouted, standing up from his seat. That's practically unheard of.

"I'm not lying Gramps. That girl even mentioned something to do with demon gates," Laxus said.

"Demon gates..." Makarov sat back down in deep thought. The opposite to celestial magic that could open the celestial gates, demon summoning magic could open up the gates to hell. This was some seriously dark magic. Bordering on the black arts…

Laxus continued. "Gramps." He waited until he had his grandfather's full attention. "I haven't even gotten to the best part yet."

Makarov froze. There was more?

"That girl. She belongs to Tartaros." Laxus wouldn't mistake that guild mark anywhere.

"What?!" Makarov bellowed.

Tartaros. One of the dark guilds from the Baram Alliance. One so shrouded in mystery that there was practically no information surrounding it. Now they have a dark mage who was capable of summoning demons?!

This was getting more serious than he thought.

"There's one last thing that bothered me," Laxus said. Mararov wasn't sure he could take anymore. "The way the girl spoke about her magic…she said it was a curse. Hell, she even called my magic a curse."

"This girl Laxus," Makarov said, his voice laced with slight concern. "How old was she?"

"Not one hundred percent sure, but based on her looks alone she seemed a couple years younger than me," Laxus answered. "Probably around Natsu's age." Except those eyes of hers. Those were eyes that had seen too much.

Makarov's brows furrowed. "This girl is young. She may not even be aware that she is wielding magic. In fact, if things are as you say, Laxus, then she might not even know about the existence of magic at all. If she has been sheltered by a dark guild, then she wouldn't have had any formal education about magic." For all light guilds, it was mandatory that all magic borne children attend a magic academy from a very young age in order to properly control and learn about their magic. If this child hasn't been properly informed, she could potentially be extremely dangerous.

Not just to others, but to herself as well.

"Laxus," Makarov said seriously as he looked to his grandson. "We need to bring her in."

Laxus raised his brow. Bring her in...to Fairy Tail? "Why don't you just let the Council take care of her?"

Makarov shook his head, "No. I'm afraid they would be too harsh on the girl. From what you said, this child knows nothing about our world. If she calls her magic a curse, then may fear it. And no one should fear their magic. She needs someone to guide her with a gentle hand."

The dragon slayer swept a hand through his blonde hair. "And…that gentle hand just happens to be Fairy Tail?" Leave it to his grandfather to try and rehabilitate a criminal.

"Yes."

Laxus sighed, "Very well." His guild was already filled with freaks...what's one more.

How hard can it be to bring in a teenaged girl?

* * *

Lucille tossed and turned in her sleep as the moon shone in through her window.

Another nightmare.

This time, all she could see behind her closed eyes were crimson flames that surrounded her entire being. It felt so real that she could practically feel the blazing heat as the fire engulfed her.

 _Ojou-chan..._

Who's there?

 _Ojou-chan..._

What do you want?

 _Summon me..._

Summon you...who are you?

 _My name is..._

Suddenly she could make out a towering gate within the blazing flames.

 _Ifrit._

* * *

 _ **A/N: Glad to already see some interest in my second fanfic that was based solely on this one random thought I had! Thanks to those who have already reviewed, faved and followed!**_

 _ **Until next chapter!**_


	3. First Demon Gate of the Beast

**Chapter 3**

"Laxus! There you are! We've been looking for you," Bickslow shouted. The blue and black haired seith mage plopped down on bar stool next to the lightning mage. After being missing for almost a week, it was a surprise that he had caught the man in the guild at all.

"What do you want Bickslow?" Laxus asked, his voice droning. He wasn't in the mood to talk today. After standing watch over the privileged businessman in hopes of catching the mysterious demon girl for almost a week, he was running out of patience. Where was that woman? What is she waiting for?

"Wow, someone's grouchy today," Bickslow laughed jokingly. "Still stumped about your secret job?" He and the rest of the Raijinshuu have been asking the man about it for the past week, but Laxus never let out a peep about where he had been disappearing to.

Laxus merely gave his friend a glare.

"What's so special about this job anyways? You didn't even tell us about it!" Bickslow complained. It was quite rare that Laxus went on or performed a job where he deliberately kept the details from the Raijinshuu.

"Master's orders," Laxus answered. "I don't make them."

"Ya. Ya," Bickslow acknowledged. Can't ignore the Master's orders. "Still. It sucks that you're wasting away our last week of freedom before we're stuck in classes again. Can you believe it? Twenty-two and we still have to attend the academy. Well then again, it's our last year."

"Uh huh," Laxus replied as he took another sip from his depressingly flat beer. It wasn't like he had any other plans for the last week of summer break.

Bickslow sighed, giving up on trying to strike a conversation with the clearly disinterested blonde. "Well I hope you finish this job before class starts Boss. Cause you're currently a buzzkill."

A quick electric shock to his system had Bickslow immediately shutting up.

* * *

Once again, Lucille found herself standing on the roof-top of one of the high rise buildings in the city of Magnolia. Despite the late hour, the city center was still bustling with energy. Bright lights and billboards illuminated the buildings while honking cars and human chatter filled the city with sound.

It had taken her a week to recover from the effects of the insertion of that 'blood lacrima' her Master had forced into her heart. However, since then she had felt unbelievably more energetic. It was as if the blood through her veins was pumping twice as fast as. Incredibly, it also made it much easier for her to summon her demons. Especially lesser demons like Naberius. She didn't even need to recite the entire chant for her raven.

Thankfully, it wasn't just lesser demons that she was able to summon more easily.

Staring across the expanse towards the high-rise in front of her, Lucille took in a deep breath. It was time to finish what she had started.

But, this time she had decided to go for a slightly different approach.

* * *

Maria Sharp squealed in delight when she found a small abandoned puppy on the side of the road near her building. It had dark coarse fur and was looking up at her with cute beady red eyes. It looked slightly cold and roughed up as it nuzzled her ankle.

"Let's take bring you home and clean you up shall we?" The little blonde girl picked up the small black puppy and entered the apartment building where her Papa lived.

* * *

Lucille had thought the man would show up on the rooftop again. She wasn't naïve enough to assume that he had given up on protecting her target. However, she was annoyed when Naberius had reported back saying that he was standing guard right outside of Sharp's apartment door. That wouldn't do. Cerberus was already in place.

She needed to lure him away from the apartment.

Laxus' guard was up that night. He knew the woman was near. He could smell her scent of strawberries even from his position in front of Sharp's apartment door. It hadn't been hard to get himself hired as his personal bodyguard. Seriously, these men need to be more careful about their security. He looked out the large window in the hallway, taking note of the busy street below as well as tall building across. Being on the penthouse floor, he had a good view of his surroundings.

His eyes widened when he caught the hooded figure standing on the rooftop of the building across the street. The figure seemed to have noticed that he was watching because they slowly removed their hood. His eyes narrowed when he recognized the long blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes.

She was here.

Laxus stiffened when her right arm reached out and her hand gestured towards him in a come-hither motion. She was provoking him. His mind weighed the options between running to catch the woman and staying to guard the businessman. She seemed to have noticed his internal struggle and, in response, made his choice for him. Her hand gestured for him to look behind him.

And with impeccable timing, the elevator suddenly dinged, its doors opening moments later to reveal a busty brunette dressed provocatively in a skin-tight black mini-dress. If this was any other day, Laxus would've definitely taken a girl like that home for a little 'fun'. However, there was something wrong with the woman. Her eyes were tinged red as if she had been crying and her body was shaking from head to toe. What bothered him the most was the small raven perched casually on her shoulder.

A raven with three eyes.

Laxus' eyes narrowed as the woman slowly approached him.

Her voice shook as she stood in front of him. "Are you the lightning man?"

"Who's asking?" Laxus demanded.

"I-It doesn't matter," the woman answered. "Are you the lightning man?" He could hear the pleading within her voice.

Laxus nodded, not wanting to cause the woman any more distress. This was low, using a mundane who didn't even know what was going on. He didn't even want to know what she was seeing right now. The raven only cocked his head at him, as if it was waiting for him to make a mistake so it could tear into the woman.

"She wants you to see her on the roof," the brunette stuttered. "I-If you don't, she'll k-kill me."

Laxus clenched his hands into fists. He was never fond of taking orders. Especially not from some cheeky woman using a hostage. He knew he could strike the raven down with one bolt of lightning, but he's not allowed to reveal his magic to mundanes. That would be a violation of the Code.

"Fine." Laxus moved towards the elevator, clicking the down button.

"W-what are you doing?!" The brunette cried. The roof top was above them, not below!

Laxus gritted his teeth. Mundanes, they were so annoying. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered. "Go home. I'll take the stairs." He turned to stare straight at the raven who was still watching him intently. "I keep my word." The raven regarded him for a moment longer before it flew off the woman's shoulder just as the elevator arrived.

Immediately the girl ran into the elevator as fast as and bashed the close button until the doors closed in front of her and the elevator descended.

The blue eyed raven signaled towards stairwell as if it was telling him to hurry along. Fists clenched, Laxus unwillingly followed the raven up the stairs until they reached the roof. There, near the ledge was the same women from the week before. How she had gotten to the roof of this building he had no idea. She turned to face him as soon as the doors had creaked open. Soft chocolate brown eyes gazed into his own stormy blues as she gave him an arrogant smile.

"Glad to see you could join us," Lucille said, smiling as Naberius flew back to her side before returning back to the underworld. Even with the blood lacrima, she knew she shouldn't have too many demons out. Not if this were to become a battle.

"What are you planning woman?" Laxus growled. He knew she had drawn him up here for a purpose, but he couldn't figure out why. Did she plan to take care of him first before taking down Sharp?

Her heeled boots clicked along the floor as Lucille crossed the span of the roof to stand right in front of the man who had been causing her so much trouble. "I've been ordered to 'take care' of you. It wasn't part of the original plan, but now that you've seen me, I have no choice."

Laxus watched as her eyes softened slightly.

"I'm sorry. But next time you should mind your own business," she whispered softly as she slowly pushed down on the clips on her wrist cuffs, feeling them digging in deeper than before.

Laxus felt his nose twitch as the air suddenly filled with the strong scent of blood. The woman leapt back a couple of feet before she stretched both arms in front of her with her hands crossed. He had been mentally preparing for a fight when suddenly the woman cried out in pain.

Lucille didn't know what was happening as a sharp pain shot through her brain. She fell to her knees and her hands shot up to cradle her head. Her eyes burned as she heard a voice inside her head.

 _Ojou-chan. Seems like you need some help._

It was the same voice from that nightmare.

 _Summon me…_

H-How?

 _You know how…Ojou-chan._

Laxus was frozen to the spot when the woman fell to the floor. What the hell was happening? He didn't even attack the woman and she was already on her knees in pain. He was about to walk up to her when her hands shakingly stretched back out in front of her and her eyes shot wide open. She was looking straight at him, but at the same time she wasn't. Her eyes had glazed over and her irises had turned an onyx black.

As her eyes opened, Lucille envisioned an entirely new gate in front of her. One enveloped with intense, blazing flames and towered over all the others that she had ever opened. She felt her blood draining rapidly through her wrists and onto her palms as she pushed against the gate with all her might. Her teeth clenched and her body strained under the pressure as the gate trembled.

Opening her mouth, she cried out the words that seemed etched on the forefront of her mind.

"Open! First Demon Gate of the Beast! Ifrit!"

The entire rooftop trembled as a loud roar echoed through the air. She felt a strong heat against her face as a flaming cloud of fire materialized in front of her. When the cloud subsided she gasped as she gazed upon the first of the Nine Demon Gates.

Ifrit.

She had only read about the elemental demon in one of her books. But the real thing was nothing compared to how they had described him. The beast towered over ten feet tall in a human-like form while he stood on his two hind legs. Two long ram-like horns protruded from his head that was wolf-like in nature with a long snout and sharp fangs. A long mane made of crimson fire started between his horns and ended in the middle of its back. Fire also protruded from his forearms and calves. The rest of the beast's muscular body was covered in dark brown coarse fur.

Laxus couldn't believe his eyes. What the hell was this?! This flaming monstrosity was a far-cry from the hell hound he met only the week before. And he hadn't even sensed any change in woman's magic power. How the hell did she manage to summon this beast from thin air?!

The beast suddenly tilted his head back and let out a thundering bellow.

"Impressive! To think I'd be able to be summoned by a tiny little human." Lucille's breath caught as Ifrit spoke out loud to her in speech meant for humans. Her other demons had only managed to speak to her through Black Speech, the language of Hell.

Ifrit suddenly noticed the man standing frozen in awe only a couple of feet away. His sharp teeth were revealed by a snarl as he realized what he was. "Dragon slayer. I assume you are my new Ojou-chan's opponent? Very well then."

Laxus' body prepared for battle as the demon's body suddenly erupted into flames. He could feel the intense heat creeping up against his skin. Damn. The beast's fire was even hotter than Natsu's. He felt his own body being covered by lightning as it naturally responded to the new threat. This was not the first time he had fought a demon, but this one was leagues beyond what he had faced before. His lips curled up into a smirk.

Finally, a challenge.

With a short roar of his own, Laxus leapt forward with a lightning infused fist. Ifrit easily blocked the punch with his left forearm before returning a flame enveloped punch of his own straight into Laxus' chest, sending the dragon slayer flying back several feet.

Snarling, Laxus only had a split second to dodge the fire demon's next attack before spinning around.

"Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Ifrit let out a roar as the punch made contact with his side, before turning back around to swipe at the smaller man. Laxus managed to dodge and leapt back to the other side of the roof before launching another attack.

Meanwhile, Lucille was watching off to the side in awe. She was amazed by the man's capabilities with lightning. She's never seen anything like it before. She didn't think he'd be able to keep up with one of the Nine Demon Gates. Though on a closer look, Ifrit seemed to be a little underwhelming at the moment, as if he didn't have enough power. Suddenly she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, but she quickly shook it off.

All she had to do now was wait.

* * *

Maria Sharp hugged the black furred puppy as she made it up to her apartment. She knew she wasn't supposed to be here today since it was Momma's turn to be taking care of her. But Momma wasn't paying attention to her so she ran away. She knew her Papa would be happy to take her in for the night.

Standing on her toes, Maria reached up as high as she could to ring the doorbell. The soft little puppy in her arms raised its head up to watch as the door opened to reveal a middle aged man.

"Maria?! What are you doing here?"

"Papa!" Maria shouted as she ran inside excitedly. Her father gently closed the door gently shut behind her. She stared down at her feet as she continued to hug the puppy to her chest. "Momma wasn't paying attention to me so I came to visit you Papa! And look!"

Maria held out the black puppy towards her Papa, "Look what I found! Isn't he cute?!" Her beady eyes stared happily into her fathers as she asked her next question. "Can we keep him?!"

"Now Maria, what have we talked about in terms of pets?" Robert Sharp replied sternly. Something about that dog unnerved him. Maybe it was the fact that it had blood red eyes or that it was staring at him as if it knew him.

"But! But Papa!" Maria complained.

"No 'buts' Maria," Robert was firm on the matter. "We're taking him back tomorrow okay? Now go freshen up in your room, Papa's got some paperwork to finish up, then we can play okay?"

"Okay Papa…" Dejected, Maria walked back to her room with the puppy still in her arms. However, she placed him down so that she could take a shower. "Puppy, stay here alright?"

The red-eyed dog stared calmly back at the little girl as she entered her bathroom. Waiting until the shower was turned on, the minature hound then creeped out of the room. Quickly locating his target, Cerberus padded across the living room until he reached the large door leading to an open office. It was like the devil was watching over him today since the door was wide open.

Cerberus let out a growl, startling the businessman still hunched over his paperwork at his large office desk. He let himself return to his natural size. The man shrieked as Cerberus slowly stalked across the office floor towards him.

"I-I've heard of this happening to the others. A-A black hound. I didn't think it was real!"

Cerberus snarled, causing the man to fall from his chair onto the floor. He advanced as Strong tried to crawl away.

"I-I'm sorry! I promise I'll pay! I promis-" The man's words were muffled by his own screams as Cerberus attacked. Rich crimson blood spattered onto the Italian carpet lining the office floor.

* * *

 _Ojou. It's done._

Lucille smirked. Though her victorious mood was suddenly ruined by another dizzy spell. She immediately sent Cerberus back to the underworld and closed his gate, hoping to conserve energy. But it was too late as she fell to her knees. Why was she so exhausted?! Did she run out of blood? But that's impossible!

"Ojou-chan!" Ifrit shouted as he blocked another lightning fist. "Your magic isn't strong enough to sustain me. I don't have much time."

"Magic?..." Lucille spoked to herself absentmindedly, panting. What was Ifrit talking about? Magic isnt' real. That's ridiculous. And why was she feeling so worn out all of a sudden? She had enough blood, the lacrima inside her heart made sure of that. What was missing?!

Laxus smirked as he realized what was happening. A creature was only as strong as its summoner and seeing as how the woman knew nothing about magic she must not have trained with it. Though on the other hand he couldn't help, but be impressed. To sustain a beast like this based almost purely on blood was a feat unheard of.

Laxus saw his chance as the fire demon reared back after another one of his lightning bolts. It was time to end this.

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"

A large blast of pure lightning burst forward and encompassed the fire demon. The beast roared as it was swallowed whole and forced back into Hell in a cloud of black smoke. When the lightning subsided, the rooftop was clear once again, leaving only Laxus and woman, who was currently trying making a run for it.

Lucille was practically over the ledge before she was ripped back onto the rooftop. She was still recovering from shock after watching Ifrit being blown away by the man's lightning. Who is this man?

"Oh no. I'm not letting you pull that one on me again," Laxus said as pinned her to the ground beneath him. He watched as she glared daggers at him while she struggled to get away.

"Let go of me!" Lucille screamed as she tried to kick the man above her.

"No," Laxus simply replied. "You're coming with me woman. Whether you want to or not."

"What? What do you want with me?" Lucille asked, surprised. At most she thought the man would just kill her.

"You're too dangerous to be running around like this. I'm taking you with me." Laxus tried to pick up the woman in order to throw her over his shoulder, but she was still struggling too hard to do so. He growled in frustration as she fell back against the ledge. "Look woman, either you come with me willingly, or I knock you out and carryyou back myself."

"Neither," she spat. "Besides, my debt hasn't been paid. I can't leave."

Debt? Was this why she was with Tartaros? Because she owned the dark guild money?

Laxus groaned. This was more work than he thought it would be. "Oi Blondie, I don't care about some stupid debt you have, you're coming regardless. Besides, your mission is over anyways. I'm still here and there's no way you're getting though me to kill that man. Not with practically all your magic drained."

Lucille's eyes widened slightly. Again with the magic. Why was everyone talking about magic today? However, her eyes held a dark glint as she addressed the first part of his statement.

She let out a dark chuckle. "No. You're already too late."

As if on cue, a high pitched scream could be heard from the penthouse suite right below the roof. Looks like the little girl had finally found her poor father.

Laxus' grip loosened slightly as he registered the scream. Taking that opportunity, Lucille slipped away from his grasp and once again leapt over the edge.

Praying to the devil that she had enough energy left, she called for Naberius. Thankfully the dark raven was able to emerge just in time to catch her. Landing roughly on her back, Lucille hung on with barely enough energy to stay conscious as the large raven once again flew towards the castle.

Laxus cursed as the woman once again slipped from his grasp. However, he didn't have the time to chase after her as he quickly ran down to the penthouse to deal with the scream. Kicking down the front door, Laxus made his way towards the heavy scent of blood before finding Robert Sharp's body, or what was left of it, lying on the floor in shreds. Sitting curled up in one corner, rocking back and forth was a small little girl, her face as pale as a ghost.

He really was too late.

* * *

The large mug of beer was slammed to the bar top as Laxus continued to fume his failure last night. Not only had the target been killed, but he was also unable to capture the woman.

"Laxus, are you alright?" Mira asked from behind the bar as she wiped down a couple of glasses. The blonde lightning mage was unusually grumpy this afternoon.

"I'm fine Mira," Laxus replied curtly. He was not in the mood to talk to the barmaid today. She was always trying to get into his business and he didn't need that right now.

"Alright Laxus, but you're starting to scare away the customers," Mira informed him. Even though she had said that, the only visitors they had at this time of day were usually just guild members. But even they were avoiding the bar area, since a certain blonde mage was noticeably starting to gather sparks.

However, there was always one mage who never seemed to get a clue about the atmosphere.

"Laxus!" A young pink haired man suddenly flew towards the bar. "Fight me!"

Laxus growled, "Not now Natsu."

"Why not now? It's not like your very busy at the moment. All you're doing is sulking," Natsu whined. Undeterred by the sharp glare the lightning mage sent his way he continued his rambling. "Why exactly are you sulking anyways? Did you mess up on a job?"

Suddenly the pink haired dragon slayer flew across the bar and crashed into one of the tables.

However instead of getting angry, Natsu only shot back up and yelled across the guild, cradling a small bump to his head where the mage had socked him. "Oi Laxus! That's cheating!"

But before Natsu could retaliate a loud booming voice resonated throughout the guild hall.

"Laxus! Office! Now," the Master called from over the second floor railing. Natsu looked over Laxus who seemed to be in a worse mood than before, if that was even possible. What's going on with Laxus today? Is he in trouble with the Master? Curious as always, Natsu watched as lightning mage followed the old man towards his office on the second floor.

"Happy!" Natsu immediately called for his blue haired friend.

"Aye!" Happy responded, immediately flying over.

"Let's go," Natsu whispered, placing his scarf over his head as if he was pretending to be a ninja. Happy eagerly followed suit.

"Natsu…where are we going?" Happy asked as they slowly crept towards the second floor.

"Shh…We're going to figure out why Laxus was so grumpy today," Natsu said as they made it to the now closed office door. Both exceed and dragon slayer pressed their ears to the wooden door.

"Natsu…I can't hear anything…" Happy whispered quietly.

"Me neither," Natsu replied. Suddenly a light bulb lit up in his mind. "Ah! I got an idea. Happy let's go!"

"Aye sir!" The exceed whispered excitedly as he followed his friend.

Meanwhile, inside Makarov's office, Laxus was still in a terrible mood.

"My boy, you've been fuming since last night. What happened?" Makarov asked. The Master already knew the answer to that, since it was all over the headlines this morning, but he'd rather get the full account from his grandson.

"I messed up. What else is there to say?" Laxus answered roughly. His arms were crossed over his chest as he sat in one of the arm chairs in front of Makarov's desk. "She played me. Lured me onto the roof as a distraction while another one of her demon's must have snuck in."

"She managed to summon two demons at once?!" Makarov exclaimed. While he didn't have much knowledge into demon summoning, if it was anything similar to a celestial mage's summoning requirements, then that was impressive all on its own.

"Ya. Though it wasn't as strong as I expected. I have a feeling she doesn't have a good grasp on her magic yet. The second demon she summoned even mentioned it himself."

"The demon she summoned…could talk?" Makarov asked. Demons usually only conversed via the Black Speech of Hell. To speak in the common tongue of humans meant that it must have been a High Demon…

This girl was getting more interesting by the minute.

"Did this demon have a name?"

"Ifrit. Said it loud and clear when she summoned it," Laxus said. "This one was on an entirely different level than the first one. Even if she didn't have enough magic to support it. I have a feeling she sustained it based purely on blood. She had a lot of trouble summoning it."

"Ifrit…!" Makarvo suddenly remembered that name. He didn't have the greatest grasp on demonology, that would be something Gildarts would be more skilled in, but this name he recognized.

"You know that name? She called it-"

"The First Demon Gate." Makarov interrupted. The first of the nine…

Laxus' brows furrowed. "Ya. That's exactly what she said."

Makarov's expression darkened. "We need to bring her in fast. She's more dangerous than I thought. If the Council gets a hold of her she'll be executed."

"What makes this 'First Demon Gate' so special Gramps?" Laxus was starting to get irritated. His grandfather was being very slow over divulging details and it was getting on his nerves.

"As you should be aware, demons are classified on different levels," Makarov started to explain. "This 'Ifrit' she summoned is one of the High Demons of Hell and as such one of the strongest. It's the first of the Nine Demon Gates and possesses the element of fire."

It was barely audible, but Laxus could swear that he heard a gasp from somewhere above him.

"Nine Demon Gates?" He asked.

"Yes. The Nine are a collection of the underworld's nine strongest demons aside from the King and the Queen. Normally they require large sacrifices in order to be summoned into our world. However, somehow this girl is managing it on her blood and magic alone. If she's left unchecked and unaware of what she's capable of, then she could be extremely dangerous to the magic society. Especially if she's in the hands of Tartaros."

Laxus sighed, "So how are we supposed to bring her in? She put up quite a fight when I tried to capture her."

"I don't think force is going to be an option anymore my boy," Makarov said. "We need her to _want_ to join Fairy Tail and as such we need another approach." Makarov suddenly raised his voice. "That's where you are going to come in. Natsu! You can come down now."

A loud gasp and the sound of banging could be heard from above the office. Laxus frowned. Natsu?! He was listening in the entire time? How the hell did he not notice?

Suddenly the ceiling grate in the corner of the office cracked open and dropped to the floor before the pink haired mage and his exceed fell unceremoniously to the ground.

"Yo Gramps!" Natsu grinned from the floor as he sat up. "What's up?" He turned to look at the lightning mage that was glaring at him. Natsu didn't know what for, but then again it always seemed like Laxus was glaring at him.

"I take it that you heard everything?" Makarov sighed. He was taking a huge bet on this one, but knowing Natsu, he would somehow pull through.

"Uh…Ya most of it," Natsu said while scratching the back of his head. To be honest he got lost throughout most of it and only perked up when he heard the word fire.

Laxus groaned. "What are you planning Gramps…"

Makarov cleared his throat. "Natsu I want you to accompany Laxus on his mission."

Laxus growled, "What?!"

"Seriously?!" The grin on Natsu's face was blinding. He gets to go on a job with Laxus?! That has never happened before!

"Laxus," Makarov's tone was final. The rumbling from Laxus' chest stopped, but the dark expression didn't leave his face. Makarov turned to face Natsu who was now seated in an arm chair next to his grandson while Happy was cheerfully seated on his desk. "Natsu, there's a young woman that we've been having trouble bringing back. We want you to help us convince her so we can introduce her to Fairy Tail."

"Why didn't you just ask her?" Natsu asked innocently. Seemed like the easiest solution to him.

Laxus rolled his eyes in frustration. "If it was that easy we wouldn't be here right now."

"We're willing to try anything that works," Makarov said, sending a silencing glance to his grandson. Maybe Natsu's cheerful demeanor would help convince the woman. Knowing his grandson, he probably tried to cart her back to the guild over his shoulder. "Now Natsu, Laxus will give you the details later and supervise while you are on the mission, but under no circumstances are we to fail. Do you understand?"

"Gotcha!" Natsu replied with a grin. The pink haired mage was beyond excited. He got to work with Laxus AND interact with someone that had something to do with fire.

Laxus groaned. This was going to be more work than its worth.

* * *

Lucille's vision blurred in and out as Naberius carried her back towards the castle. She breathed a sigh of relief as they passed into Tartaros territory. However, it turned out to be a bit too soon as she suddenly felt the last of her energy leaving her system, causing Naberius to falter. The pair plunged towards the ground as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Using whatever last strength she had in her, Naberius pulled up just in time to avoid colliding into the concrete of the side alley they fell into. Unable to stay on this world any longer, the three-eyed raven disappeared in a cloud of smoke, causing Lucille to fall the last couple feet, crashing into the ground. She rolled roughly along the hard concrete until she came to a complete stop.

Breathing heavily, Lucille only had enough energy to crack open one eye. She glanced around her, taking in her surroundings. Great. She was stuck lying in a dark alley in one of the most corrupt parts of the city. She laid there for a couple minutes, unable to move, until she heard footsteps coming from the entrance of the alley. Her breath stilled as a shadow stood over her.

Looking up, she caught sight of a human dressed in ripped street clothes. Must be a dealer. She stiffened when she felt herself being lifted into the man's arms. She tried to break free, but she didn't even have enough energy to cry out. Her eyes glanced up at the man's face and almost immediately she seized struggling and relaxed.

The man's eyes…were blank and his body movements were stiff…

Almost as if he were being controlled.

Lucille chuckled to herself as she laid her head back and closed her eyes as the man robotically carried her out of the alleyway and down the street.

Seilah.

Guess she's going to have to thank the demon when she gets home.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I had intended for this chapter to have been shorter, but it kinda ran away from me. Excuse my demonology going forth since I'm not exactly an expert on this stuff so I'll be making it up as I go (which is actually the hardest but most fun part). Inspiration for Ifrit comes from Final Fantasy (which I do not own). But yay Natsu finally showed up. Definitely looking forward to them meeting up next chapter. I could only imagine what it would be like for Laxus and Natsu to go on a job together. I just picture Laxus sulking and sighing the entire time while Natsu bursts on ahead with waaay too much energy and Happy at his heels.**_

 _ **Anyways! Until next chapter!**_


	4. Come with Me

**Chapter 4**

Lucille's eyes flickered open as the sun streamed in from her large bedroom window. She immediately closed them and attempted to turn towards the other side of her bed to avoid the blinding light, but she was stopped by a gentle, but firm hand to her chest. Her eyes flickered open again, taking note of the beautiful female sitting on the side of her bed. Her long black hair was similar in colour to her eyes, and gently framed the sides of her heart shaped face. Two large golden horns protruded from the sides of her head, slightly pointing upwards.

"It is not the time for sleep, Lucille," a calm voice reached her ears.

Lucille sighed, placing an arm over her eyes. "I'm still tired, Seilah."

"Lucille," Seilah's voice was calm, but firm. Almost immediately, Lucille sprang up from bed. The demon was beautiful, but beauty can often hide what's present underneath. An angry Seilah was not someone she wanted to deal with first thing in the morning. Especially after a night like the last. Her head still pounded from the lack of energy.

Pleased with her obedience Seilah continued. "Mard Geer was worried when you came home in that condition last night."

"You mean when you ordered some poor guy off the street to carry me home?" Lucille scoffed. She still berated herself for being so weak that she'd collapse in the middle of an alley. If it wasn't for Seilah she'd probably still be lying there.

"You're welcome," Seilah answered, despite the fact that Lucille hadn't thanked her. Knowing the little human's mannerisms, the comment was spoken in gratitude. Besides, demons don't thank one another, they simply take what they need. And this little one was definitely raised like a demon.

"What happened to him?" Lucille asked, though a part of her already knew the answer.

"His services weren't needed once he carried you safely home," Seilah merely commented.

Lucille sighed. The street dealer was probably in his own alleyway by now…rotting away. Let's just say her messed up 'family' was never one for mercy. Especially not Seilah. But she practically owed everything to the demon. Despite being cold and collected, Seilah was the one that practically raised her once her father abandoned her here.

Mard Geer had assigned the horned demon to take care of her when she first arrived at the castle. Since then, Seilah had taught her how to read and write, commenting that she was useless if she didn't at least know how. Once she had learned, Seilah forced her to read all the books that were in the castle library, though forced was the wrong word to used. Lucille loved all the books that she had read. For the longest time it was the only connection she had to the world outside of the castle that she had almost forgotten about since arriving.

Only when she was deemed trusted and capable was she able to leave the castle. And that was when her missions began. Mard Geer had never told her how much her father had owed him. He simply kept on saying that if she worked hard enough that eventually she would pay off her father's debt and she'd be free. However, she was starting to understand that that time was never going to come for her. For the rest of her life, she belonged to Tartaros.

"What transpired last night?" Seilah asked, cutting into Lucille's thoughts.

Lucille groaned. "What does it matter? I got the job done." However, by the look on the demon's face she knew she wasn't getting away with only that as an explanation. She sighed, she could never refuse Seilah. "It was the same guy as the first time. The man with the cursed lightning. I knew he would around again so this time I sent Cerberus in ahead of time. I had to lure the man to the rooftop so Cerberus could get in. Then we got into a fight."

"And what exactly occured during this fight that exhausted you to the point where you collapsed in the middle of an alley?" Seilah asked, continuing to interrogate the blonde.

Lucille stared down at her hands. "I summoned someone new last night."

Now Seilah's interest was piqued.

"He came to me a couple of nights ago in a dream, asking me to summon him. Then in the middle of the fight, his voice rang inside my head and his gate appeared right in front of me," Lucille went on. "It took all of the energy in me just to keep him open for a few minutes."

"What was its name?" Seilah inquired.

Lucille paused for a moment before answering. "Ifrit."

If Seilah didn't have such tight control over her emotions, her eye would've widened in shock. Ifrit. That's one of the Nine. The true Nine. Mard Geer will want to know about this…

"I will leave you to rest. There is something I must go do," Seilah quickly informed the blonde before getting off the bed to leave. However, as she was almost out the door, she paused.

"Seilah…what is magic?"

Seilah didn't turn around, but if she had, Lucille would've seen her eyes darken and her teeth grit.

"That's none of your concern."

With that comment, Seilah exited her bedroom.

* * *

"Ah! This is so exciting!" Natsu shouted excitedly as he perched on the edge of the roof of a downtown high-rise.

"Settle down will you?" Laxus rolled his eyes. Of all people to be on a mission with, it just _had_ to be Natsu. What was Gramps even thinking?!

"But I'm never downtown, and never for something as important as this! This practically qualifies as an S-Class mission!" Natsu's eyes glazed over. Maybe if he completed this right, Gramps will promote him early to S-Class!

"Aye!" Happy agreed. The blue exceed was hovering over Natsu's shoulder and peering onto the streets below.

Laxus groaned. "And why did you have to bring your cat along?"

"Huh, Happy isn't just anyone you know," Natsu commented simply. "He's nakama and he's just as valuable to the mission as I am."

"Aye!" Happy grinned.

Laxus sighed, not wanting to argue. "Let's just get this over with shall we." They had been scent tracking this woman for the past couple of days and they've finally located her. Surprisingly, she had just been strolling around the city center for most of the evening, making it much more difficult to approach her given the large numbers of mundanes in the general vicinity. But as dusk approached, she finally moved to a darker part of town that was less populated.

Laxus was on high alert as soon as he realized he had entered dark guild territory.

It was near a rundown city park that they finally decided to make a move.

"Natsu."

"Yosh! I'm all fired up!" Natsu grinned. "Happy!"

"Aye sir!" Happy grabbed hold of Natsu and flew him down behind a bush by the park. They were planning to make this a casual encounter, so dropping down from the sky was probably not the best idea.

Laxus had remained on the roof of a rundown apartment complex nearby for surveillance. _This brat better not screw this up._

* * *

Lucille's mind had been wandering for the past couple of days. After that strange dismissal by Seilah when she had asked her about magic, she had grown curious. She knew for certain that the books in the castle library didn't have what she was looking for. The most they talked about were curses, and she already knew all about those. She had ventured out into the city in hopes of finding some answers, but sadly she had come up short. There were absolutely no books that ever mentioned magic beyond its use in fairy tales. Maybe she was overthinking this too much. Magic being real did seem kind of far-fetched…

She had been casually walking back home to the castle, carrying Cerberus in her arms when she passed by the usual abandoned park. The rusted swing set creaked as the light wind blew by. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't see the boy pop up in front of her.

"Yo! That's a cute dog you've got there!"

Letting out a small yelp, Lucille jumped backwards, Cerberus growling at the stranger while he remained in her arms.

"Who are you!" Lucille demanded. It was naïve of her to believe that she was safe purely on the fact that she was on Tartaros territory. "I've never seen you here before." The boy in front of her looked around her age, with salmon pink hair and the widest grin she's seen on anyone's face in this part of town.

"Ah gomen! I was just passing by when I noticed your dog there," the pink haired boy replied. "Three heads…that's so cool!"

Lucille immediately took another step back and Cerberus growled even louder, his fangs starting to show. "What did you say?"

"You're dog," the boy replied, seemingly confused. "It's got three heads…no?"

"You're not supposed to see that," Lucille hissed. No one ever saw Cerberus' true form except those back at Tartaros. Everyone else merely saw Cerberus as regular hound. How was this weird boy seeing this?

"Ah well, that's true for most people, but we're not most people," the boy commented with a smile. "Here, how about I show you my friend too. Happy!"

"Aye!" Suddenly out from behind the pink haired boy came a small blue cat. A cat that was…flying?!

"W-What is that?!" Lucille shrieked. What is going on?

"Hey Natsu…" the cat pouted. "She's mean…"

"It can talk?!"

"You really don't know anything do you…" the boy sighed. "Might as well get all the surprises out of the way then." Out of nowhere, his fists suddenly lit on fire.

Lucille gasped, hugging Cerberus closer to her chest. This was just like the lightning man… "Are you cursed too?"

"Cursed?" The boy repeated. "No no. This is magic."

"Magic…impossible," Lucille whispered while shaking her head. "Magic doesn't exist."

"Sure it does!" The boy grinned happily. "You have it too. That's how you're able to summon that dog!"

Lucille growled along with Cerberus, "You're lying…I don't believe you."

"I'm not-"

"Enough!" Lucille shouted, her hands went up to grasp her head, trying to push back an oncoming headache. Cerberus dropped to his feet on the park grounds and immediately returned to his native size, his large canines bared towards the stranger as it growled through its three heads.

"Natsu…" Happy said. "I don't think this is going very well."

"Ah! Laxus is going to kill me!" Natsu exclaimed in worry. He didn't think it would go one hundred percent smoothly, but he could already tell that this was not good. Not good at all.

"I don't care for your magic tricks. I know what I am," Lucille breathed heavily. She was cursed. She knew that. Everyone around her had said so. Her father, the demons, everyone. She's had enough of talking to this boy. He'd only fill her head with nonsense. "You've seen too much. I'm sorry, but I can't let you leave alive."

Cerberus continued to growl, his body low in a crouch, prepared to strike at his master's command.

Natsu straightened up, his mood sobering up. "Alright, if this is how you want it. Guess we'll have to knock some sense into you."

Lucille's eyes narrowed. "Cerberus."

The hell hound pounced. Natsu leapt out of the way in the last second before twisting around and delivering a blow of his own.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

His blazing fist hit the mark, causing Cerberus to crash into the ground with a yelp. Rolling to a halt, the hellhound growled out his frustrations before attacking again.

Lucille watched in shock as the pink haired boy continued to fight with flames surrounding his body. How is that even possible? He was just like that other man…

He had said it was magic…did magic really exist?

Natsu hissed when the one of the hellhound's heads caught the side of his right shoulder and ripped his shirt.

"Stop playing around," Natsu heard Laxus chastise him all the way from the nearby rooftop, his dragon hearing catching his voice.

Natsu sighed. "Hai…" He turned back towards the hound just as it leapt again.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

The flames enveloped the hellhound, eliciting a whine from the dog before it began to fade into shadows.

"Cerberus!" Lucille yelped when Cerberus was suddenly sent back to the underworld with a blast of fire originating from the boy's mouth. What is happening? Cerberus has never failed to kill his target before. Not until she met that man of lightning and this boy of fire.

Fire…

Maybe?

Natsu turned back towards the blonde. "Now do you believ-" What was she doing? Both her hands were held in front of her crossed over each other and suddenly the scent of her blood hit his nose. He continued to watch as her face strained as if she was struggling. Was she okay?

The towering gate of fire once again appeared before her eyes as she attempted to summon the demon again. It was just as difficult as the last time she tried as she pushed with all her might to open the gate. She felt her blood seeping into her palms as she spoke the words once again.

"Open! First Demon Gate of the Beast! Ifrit!"

The blazing heat once again licked against her face as the towering beast appeared before her in a swirl of flames.

"Ohhh!" Natsu shouted excitedly. Fire! A demon made of fire! This was what Laxus was talking about. "Hey Happy! I wonder what it's flames taste like?"

"Natsu! Think about that later! It's coming!" Happy yelled from behind him. The blue exceed was hiding safely behind a rusted slide.

"Ojou-chan. What a pleasure to be summoned again." Ifrit's voice deep and bellowing. The demon turned around and upon noticing her decided to step a little closer. "Ohh! I couldn't quite catch it before, but little contractor, you're a beautiful one aren't you."

Lucille couldn't suppress the tiny shiver that went down her spine as she caught the perverted gaze coming from Ifrit. Ugh, she would happen to summon a perverted demon… She covered her chest with both arms. "Hey…can you at least pay attention?" She pointed towards the pink haired boy.

Ifrit turned back around. "Oh? Another dragon slayer? You seem to get into trouble a lot don't you?"

"Dragon slayer?" Lucille whispered to herself. What's that?

Ifrit immediately burst into flames, in preparation for battle. "Ojou-chan, you should already know this, but I won't be able to stay for long. You still don't have enough magic."

Lucille winced. _Magic…_

"I've been waiting for this," Natsu smirked. He leapt forward, throwing the first strike.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Don't get too confident, little dragon slayer!" Ifrit easily blocked the punch, before knocking Natsu towards the side. "You're not fighting a dragon. Fires burn much hotter from the depths of hell!" Immediately, Ifrit let out a roar of flames towards the dragon slayer.

Lucille watched as the blast of fire hurled towards the boy. But she wasn't prepared for what happened next. She gasped, one hand moving to cover her mouth, which was wide open in shock.

Was he eating the flames?!

Natsu swallowed the entire blast, but moments later started hacking and coughing. That fire was hotter than any fire he's ever eaten before, but also the tastiest. And boy did it burn! It felt like he was eating the world's spiciest pepper...but in the form of fire. "Ah! Delicious!"

"W-What did you just do?!" Lucille shrieked in surprise. He just ate the fire…and called it delicious?!

"I ate it!" Natsu answered with a smile.

"Aye!" Happy added in. "He can use dragon slayer magic and that's what lets him eat fire!"

"Eat fire…"

Ifrit's laugh bellowed. "You're a brave one, little dragon slayer." But then his eyes narrowed. "But, you're making me look bad in front of the beautiful Ojou-chan!" The beast leapt forward, fist ablaze in an attempt to land another strike, but he could feel the weakening magic power from his contractor.

"Gomen," Natsu apologized as he dodged once again. "But I can't let you win today." The boy gathered his own fire magic within his lungs.

Lucille could feel herself getting dizzy as she fell to her knees. Not again. Why is this always happening?

Ifrit growled, "Gomen Ojou-chan, but I'm out of time…"

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Lacking enough supplied magic power, Ifrit cursed as he was caught in the flames. It wasn't the boy's attack that forced him to return, it was the exhaustion of his contractor's magic power.

"Gomen Ojou-chan, but I must return…" Ifrit's voice trailed off as he disappeared in swirl of flames.

"Ifrit!" Lucille sat there on the park ground, stunned. How could this happen to her again?! Who is this boy? She fell backwards as the fire-eating boy approached her.

"I'm sorry about your friend, but I really just wanted to talk."

"Just who are you?" Lucille asked weakly. She was starting to feel faint. This was just like the last time.

"Ah! I forgot to introduce myself!" The boy scratched the back of his neck before he reached his arm out. His hand was held out towards her. "My name is Natsu!"

"Natsu…"

"Aye! And I'm Happy!" The flying blue cat exclaimed as he flew in behind the boy named Natsu.

"What's your name?" Natsu asked, not bothered at all that she didn't go for his hand shake.

For some reason, she found herself responding before she could stop herself. "Lucille."

"Luc..Lu...Luigi?"

"It's Lucille!" What the hell?! Why did she say that? The dizziness must be interfering with her decision-making skills. Revealing her name to random strangers definitely wasn't on her to-do list when she set off this morning.

"Ah…that's too complicated," Natsu complained. "Let's just call you Lucy!"

"W-Who said you can go around changing my name?!" Lucille protested, immediately sitting back up, but she suddenly felt another wave of dizziness. She fell forward, catching herself with her hands on the concrete floor.

"Are you alright?" Happy asked as he flew closer. "You've used too much magic!"

"What is with everyone talking about magic?!" Lucille shouted in frustration. Her head was starting to hurt.

"That's because this _is_ magic!" Natsu exclaimed as he knelt down so that they were on the same level. He didn't understand why this woman was so confused. This stuff should have been plain as day.

"You're lying. This-" Lucille looked at her hands and at the cuffs around her wrists. "-This is all a curse. I'm cursed. Don't you get it?!"

Natsu suddenly reached forward and grasped her wrists, causing Lucille to gasp. "It's not a curse. Don't you ever call yourself cursed. You might be able to summon demons and honestly it's the coolest thing I've ever seen, but in the end its still magic. What's inside you _is_ magic."

Lucille managed to rip back her wrists from Natsu's grasp. "That's-"

He cut her off before she could finish. "And magic, it's everywhere around us. It's what keeps us mages alive."

"Us mages?" Lucille whispered. "You mean there's more people out there…like me?"

"O-Of course!" Natsu wasn't certain that there would others with the same magic as this girl's, but there were definitely more mages out there in the world. More than he could count. "And if you come join our guild, you can meet more people like us and Gramps can teach you all about magic!"

"Guild?"

"Yep!" Natsu replied. "Kinda like the one you're in now." He pointed towards the guild mark above her left breast. One that Laxus had briefed him on its meaning. He didn't like how this Tartaros had kept this girl in the dark about her magic.

Lucille pulled back in shock. Tartaros was a guild? She's never heard of it being called that before…

"Our guild is called Fairy Tail!" Natsu announced proudly, showing off his guild mark on his right shoulder.

"Fairy Tail?"

"Hai! I'm sure everyone would be excited to meet you!" Natsu said with a wide grin.

Lucille sat back on her heels, stunned. Meet…other people? Ever since she was taken to Tartaros, she had never really met other people. The only contact she had with the outside world was whenever she was sent out on missions. Everything else she had learned was from within the castle. The only other people she interacted with were those at Tartaros, if you could call them people.

If she left with this Natsu, to this so called Fairy Tail, does that mean that she'd be able to meet new people? And possibly…make friends?

Lucille's heart clenched at the very thought of making friends. She had been lonely for so long. Even when she was back at the mansion with her father, since he had never allowed any children of her age to visit.

But all of this…was just a dream. And she wasn't allowed to dream. Not anymore.

Natsu stood back up and held out his hand towards the girl once again.

"What do you say?"

Lucille shook her head and stared towards the ground. "It's impossible. I haven't repaid my debt yet. They would never let me go."

"Never mind that!" Natsu argued. "Knowing them, you'll never repay it all." He didn't know much about this Tartaros, but he knew that dark guild's never kept their promises.

She already knew that.

Natsu backtracked when he saw the sullen look on her face after his comment. "A-Ah. I mean…uh…"

"It's okay," Lucille said.

"Ugh..." Natsu was starting to run out of things to say. "Anyways just come with us!"

"Why are you so insistent?" Lucille asked, frustrated. Why did this boy even care about someone like her?

"Because," Natsu stated. "We're friends!"

"Friends?..." Lucille repeated. "We just met!"

"So? I know you're not a bad person and that's good enough for me," Natsu replied. "You were worried about your demons when they got sent back right? Bad people wouldn't care."

She didn't understand this boy. He comes in out of nowhere, fights her, defeats her, then out of nowhere says they are friends? Is that how you make friends in the outside world?!

Lucille gritted her teeth. None of this mattered. It would never work. "They'll come after us."

"Then let them come! We'll protect you!" Natsu exclaimed.

She looked up in shock. No one's ever said that to her before. At Tartaros, it was everyone for themselves. "Really?"

"Really!" Natsu grinned. His hand was still outstretched in front of her.

Lucille stared at the hand in front of her, desperately wanting to grab hold. Here was someone finally offering to break her free from her prison. Like a caged nightingale, she was forced to sing to the tune that Tartaros wanted, ever since she was taken there. In the beginning she had longed for freedom, had longed for her father to come rescue her. But help never came. And after ten years, she had stopped hoping.

So why was she so willing to trust this boy, whom she had just met? Was it because of his wide grin? His caring eyes? Or was it simply because he was the first one to offer help?

Was it worth it this time to hope?

"Come with me. To Fairy Tail."

Maybe just this once she'll hope again…

Slowly Lucille reached out her hand in front of her. She was about to grab hold when suddenly she felt her hair being pulled from behind her. She fell backwards with a scream.

"You ungrateful wench," the voice behind her spit out. "We feed you and clothe you and what do you end up doing?" Lucille felt herself being lifted by her hair, the pain shooting straight into her skull. "Betray us?! To a guild like Fairy Tail?!"

Lucille strained to turn her head to identify her captor. She winced when she realized who it was. "Ezel…" The towering demon was disguised behind a dark hooded robe, but even then she could tell who he was by his enormous size.

"Let her go!" Natsu shouted angrily. "Isn't she supposed to be your nakama?!"

"Nakama?" Ezel barked out a laugh. "There's no such thing."

"Natsu…run…." Lucille screamed as she was pulled even higher.

"Tch. Thinking of new friends already when you haven't even made it out of the territory." Ezel growled. He turned back to face Natsu. "I don't have time to deal with you Fairy trash. The small-fry will take care of that. Gotta bring this traitor back."

Ezel's face terrified Lucille, when he turned back to face her. "Guess I'll leave you with Kyoka for a while, shall we?"

The towering demon hovered into the air and proceeded to fly off, carrying Lucille with him. Natsu tried to follow, but immediately he was surrounded by a large group of men, all carrying high-tech magic weapons. Their hooded sweaters were all branded with the same symbol.

The symbol of Tartaros.

Natsu cursed as they closed in on him. But, moments later, in a flash of lightning, Laxus appeared next to his side.

Natsu growled, "Where were you when that guy appeared?!"

Laxus growled back. "You think he would take well to two mages opposing him? What do you think he would have done to the girl?"

Natsu scoffed, but he knew that Laxus was right. He would have hurt Luigi...

"Let's just take care of the small-fry first." Laxus said, his body already sparking with lightning. He was itching for a fight. Sitting there on the roof, being unable to do anything, had his nerves all worked up.

Natsu nodded, before responding. "Hey Laxus…We're not just going to leave Luigi to that guy are we?"

"Tch, of course not." Laxus responded, not even bothering to correct Natsu on the hideous butchering of the woman's name. "Gramps would be at my throat if we didn't bring her home."

"Guess we're just going to have to get her back aren't we?"

"Don't state the obvious Natsu."

Natsu grinned, his body lighting up in flames as he faced down his foes. "Yosh! I'm all fired up!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: And here we have Natsu! I'm hoping I didn't make their meeting too unrealistic, but I did want Natsu to convince her this way. I kinda wanted to reflect how accepting he was and easy it was for Lucy to join Fairy Tail in the manga. But, of course, I didn't want to make it TOO easy. It wouldn't be Tartaros if they had just let her go like that...**_

 _ **Hope you're liking this so far!**_

 _ **Until next chapter!**_


	5. Rescue Myself

**Chapter 5**

Mard Geer was having quite the pleasant night. The sweet sounds of his pet's screams filled the castle and drifted up from the dungeon, Kyoka's playground. This evening's events did not surprise him. In fact, he was surprised that it did not happen sooner. He had always assumed that his pet would reach a rebellious age and attempt to leave. The fact that she hadn't done so despite reaching the human age of eighteen was worth praising. Maybe he would reward her for that. Perhaps a shorter sentence? Kyoka must have been at it for a couple of hours now. It was time to pay his naughty pet a little visit.

Heading down into the dungeon, Mard Geer soon laid eyes on his battered little human. Not a single inch of her was lacking in blood, the crimson substance having stained even the full length of her previously blonde hair. It was quite advantageous that his pet lacked the ability to die from blood loss. He had seen to that with the blood lacrima, evidence of its implantation showing boldly through the scar over her right breast. It had made punishments much more...lasting.

Kyoka was being awfully harsh this night, Mard Geer noted. Judging by his pet's screams, the demon must have enhanced her pain sensors.

Poor thing.

Lucille's brain could no longer process anything besides the pain running throughout her body. Every touch was like fire, every whip like lightning and every slice like end of the world. She would like to say that she's felt worse, but she could no longer be certain if she had. This wasn't the first time that she's been on the receiving end of Kyoka's wrath. No, occasionally Kyoka liked to do this to her for fun. But tonight the demon was relentless and raging.

Lucille opened her mouth in a silent scream as another whip went across her back.

"We clothe you." Whip. "We feed you." Whip. "We give you a home to stay in." Whip. "And this is how you repay us?!"

Lucille had enough mental capacity left to note that all three of those comments were false.

"Trying to run away with those mages were you?" Kyoka hissed. "Well maybe I'll make it so you can no longer run in general!"

Lucille's eyes widened in sharp fear, but Mard Geer finally decided to step in.

"Enough, Kyoka," Mard Geer commanded.

But Kyoka was so lost in her rage that she already had her whip raised again, striking Lucille once more.

"Enough!" Mard Geer demanded. It would not do to have his pet lose a leg or two. He had grown quite fond of the little human. Enough so that he never even let her scar, making sure that Lamy always corrected any visual defects on his pet's skin. But now, with the blood lacrima, it seems as if her scars disappeared on their own. How...suitable for his perfect little pet. Well, except for the one scar over her left breast, in the shape of intertwining vines. Now that one, he liked.

Kyoka immediately dropped to her knees and bowed her head in apology. "I apologize, My Lord."

"See to it that it doesn't happen again. My pet needs to be in working order," Mard Geer said, his voice low.

"Hai," Kyoka breathed.

Mard Geer walked over to where Lucille was hanging off a set of metal chains. Putting on a demented smile, Mard Geer lifted her chin up to face him. "Have you learned your lesson, my pet?"

"H-Hai, Master," Lucille whispered in defeat.

Mard Geer's grin grew wider before he turned towards Kyoka.

"Inform Seilah and have her clean Lucille and put her to bed." Mard Geer commanded.

"Yes my Lord. "

The clean up afterwards was just as hellish as the torture itself. Lucille's pain sensors were still enhanced throughout the entire ordeal, making bathing and the wrapping of her wounds just as painful. By the time Seilah had returned her to her bed, Lucille was panting in utter exhaustion.

She wanted to cry out. Not in sorrow, but in sheer frustration. Frustration that she was too weak to fight back. Too weak to run away.

She knew it. Leaving here was never a possibility. Death was her only option in that department.

Lucille had been so lost in her own self-pity that she had forgotten that Seilah was still present in the room. Though, the demon had made her presence known through the tightening of another one of Lucille's bandages.

Lucille cried out in pain.

Seilan, calm as ever, addressed the pitiful human. "I see you've angered Kyoka-sama this night."

Lucille held her breath. She knew how much Seilah worshipped the other demon. Guess this night wasn't over after all.

Seilah pressed a clawed hand on Lucille's chest, eliciting another cry of pain. "You are never to do that ever again. Do you hear me?"

"Yes," Lucille breathed. Anything to rid herself of the burning pain.

The demon's hand drifted down to painfully squeeze Lucille's bandaged breast. "Do you hear me?!"

"Yes!" Lucille screamed. The burning sensation travelled straight through her spine and into her brain. She breathed heavily even after Seilah removed her hand.

"You do not wish to experience my wrath should you repeat this behavior," Seilah scolded, before heading out the door to Lucille's room.

Lucille laid there for long moments, staring at the ceiling of her bedroom. A single tear slipped down her face. She was truly alone here. Even Seilah, whom she liked to believe was a like sister, could turn on her with a flip of a switch.

It angered her. The longer she laid there, the longer she simmered.

Enough is enough.

Suddenly a quiet whisper brought her out of her thoughts.

"Lucy…"

* * *

"Hey Laxus," Natsu grunted as he punched another one of Tartaros' followers with a flame infused fist. "How many more of these are there going to be?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Laxus retorted as he electrocuted another five, all without moving from his spot.

"Keh, show off," Natsu grumbled. "We've been at this for hours. Why haven't we found her yet?"

"This part of town is like a maze," Laxus complained. "They must have designed it like this to prevent intruders."

"Well we've got her scent, but I keep losing it," Natsu noted, before sending another roar through a group of followers. In the back of his mind, he wondered what the mundanes would see this as. Maybe another crazed arsonist with a flamethrower? He liked it whenever the newspapers reported him like that.

"I ain't doing any better," Laxus admitted.

Suddenly Natsu paused and sniffed the air. "Wait! I've got it. I've caught the scent of her blood!"

Laxus' brows raised in slight alarm. That can never be good. "Where?" He hated to admit it, but Natsu's nose has always been better than his own. Perhaps it was due to the whole first-generation dragon slayer thing.

Natsu took another sniff to be sure, before bolting off in the direction of her scent. "This way!" Laxus and Happy quickly followed suit.

They arrived at the depressing and looming castle, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, soon after. It was quiet. A little too quiet. There were no longer any of Tartaros' followers in the surrounding area. There were only two guards that stood in front of the castle doors. They hid in the foliage that surrounded the castle and followed the woman's scent around until they reached the eastern tower of the building.

"You know, I kinda feel like we're princes here to rescue the princess," Natsu joked.

"Only an idiot like you would say something like that," Laxus rolled his eyes.

"Oi! I'm not an idiot!"

"Natsu," Happy said. "I don't think we have time to argue like this. We have to find Lucy."

"Listen to your cat Natsu," Laxus quipped.

"Fine…" Natsu grumbled. "Didn't want to be the prince anyways. Being the fire breathing dragon sounds so much cooler."

"Of course it would…" Laxus said sarcastically. "Are we sure she's up there?" While Laxus could make out her strawberry flavoured scent by now, it seemed to spread all over the area.

"I can go check!" Happy volunteered.

Natsu nodded. "Alright, Happy. But be careful and come back right away."

"Aye Sir!"

And with that, Happy flew towards the tower. When he reached the top, Happy peered through the window, trying to see if Lucy was inside.

"Lucy…"

* * *

Lucille scrunched her brows as soon as she heard some deviation of her name being spoken. Was she so out of it that she was starting to become delusional?

"Lucy…"

Her eyes shot towards the window, before widening in shock. There by the glass, illuminated by the light of the moon, was the silhouette of a flying…cat? Wait, flying cat…didn't that pink haired boy have a flying cat?

"Neko?" Lucille whispered. All she could do was turn her head. She tried to move her body, but only succeeded in causing her sheets to fall to the floor, pain shooting up her spine as the sheets brushed against her bandaged skin.

"It's Happy!" Happy whispered excitedly, before his expression downturned into a frown when he saw her wince in pain. "Are you alright Lucy…"

"It's Lucille," she corrected. "I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"We're here to rescue you!"

"Rescue me?" Lucille repeated slowly. "Why?"

"You said you were coming home with us," Happy reminded her.

"…Home?" Lucille asked, confused.

"Ya! Home! To Fairy Tail!" Happy exclaimed.

"Fairy Tail…" Lucille repeated. That's right, she did say to the boy that she would go to this 'Fairy Tail' with him. But that was before Ezel brought her back here and Kyoka had her way with her.

Happy then noticed something he hadn't before. "Hey Lucy…did you turn into a mummy?"

A mummy? Lucille looked down at herself before understanding. Laughing only slightly, for any more than that would cause considerably more pain, she responded. "It happens sometimes."

"Oh…You're weird," Happy concluded. "Anyways! Wait here. I'd try to carry you down myself, but you seem too heavy for that. I'll go get Natsu or Laxus to come carry you." The silhouette of the flying cat then disappeared.

Lucille didn't know what to process first. The fact that this stupid cat called her heavy or the fact that there was someone else outside. Who was this Laxus? Regardless, who did these people think she was? Some damsel in distress that needed to be rescued from the tower? Granted she did live in a tower, but that was not the point. She wasn't about to sit here like an invalid.

It had always been just her.

She didn't need anyone else's help.

With a renewed passion, Lucille painstakingly pushed herself up to her elbows, before rolling herself off the bed with a muffled scream. Kyoka was definitely cruel tonight, her pain enhancements had never lasted this long. Silent tears streaming down her face, she proceeded to crawl towards the window.

A black clawed foot caused her to halt. "Well. What do we have here?"

Head turning upwards, Lucille looked into pitch black eyes. "Jackal." She was slightly confused at the emotions currently passing through the demon's eyes. Annoyance, anger…regret...sadness?

Jackal's face twisted into a snarl, but again his eyes didn't match his words. "Trying to escape so soon are we?" Walking around the room, the demon started gathering everything Lucille owned into a pile in the floor. Though, sadly, that wasn't much.

"You pathetic little human." Another t-shirt was tossed into the pile. "You ungrateful-" Next came Lucille's favourite book. "-needy-" A haircomb. "-low life."

Lucille was utterly confused, what was Jackal doing with all her stuff-

Suddenly a backpack got thrown into the tiny pile, before Jackal hurriedly started stuffing all of her things into it. Lucille's eyes started to tear up. Was he-?

"The next time we meet, we will be enemies," Jackal hissed into her ear, before lifting her into a sitting position and placing the backpack over her bandaged shoulders. "Don't forget that."

Jackal lifted her up into his arms, causing her to wince in pain, before walking towards the window. Despite how much pain she knew she'd put herself in, Lucille threw her arms around the demon, giving him a hug, tears streaming down her face. Letting go, she looked into his shocked and pained black eyes.

Jackal kicked open the tower window, the heavy winds immediately blowing into her room.

"Don't forget what a pathetically weak human you are," Jackal spit out, which Lucille took as demon for 'be safe', before he whispered. "Sis…"

Jackal then proceeded to unceremoniously toss her out the window.

Lucille smiled as she fell from the tower.

He set her free.

* * *

"Natsu!" Happy shouted as he flew back down towards the bushes where Natsu and Laxus hid.

"Happy! Shhhhh!" Natsu whispered as Happy reached them.

"Oh right," Happy said, slightly embarrassed. "Ah! Before I forget! Lucy, Lucy she-"

"Just get on with it," Laxus said, annoyed.

"Lucy turned into a mummy!" Happy exclaimed.

"A mummy?" Natsu asked. Both dragon slayers looked to each in confusion, before it clicked within their minds as to _why_ the woman would look like a mummy. Things didn't look too good.

"Aye!" Happy answered, oblivious. "She says it happens sometimes."

"What have they done to her…" Natsu's eyes narrowed in slight anger. "I think it's time we stormed the castle and set some things on fire…"

"Don't be so rash, Natsu," Laxus scolded. The two dragon slayers started to argue as to what the best approach for them to retrieve Lucille was. This went on for a couple of minutes before they were interrupted by Happy's shouting.

"Ah! Lucy's turned into a flying mummy!"

Both dragon slayers glanced at the cat in confusion, before they looked towards the tower with wide eyes. Quickly springing out of the foliage, the two dragon slayers ran towards the tower in hopes of catching the falling woman.

They weren't going to make it.

* * *

As she fell from the tower, Lucille didn't see the two men that sprang out from the bushes. The sharp winds felt like tiny cuts of a knife when it touched her skin as she continued to fall. Inside, Lucille was panicking. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. The fight with that pink-haired boy had taken most of her energy and Kyoka's punishment had left her exhausted. Holding her palm out towards the earth, she prayed to the devil that she could do this.

Please…Please…Please!

"Open! Demon Gate of the Raven! Naberius!"

The massive raven appeared below just as her eyes caught the sight of two men diving underneath her with outstretched arms. However, she had fallen too far for Naberius to take flight. What resulted, was a massive pile of bodies as Lucille fell on top Naberius, who had then crashed on top of the two men. The impact finally caused Lucille to pass out from pain, forcing Naberius to immediately return to the underworld in a puff of smoke. Having lost her cushion, Lucille fell the last two feet, right on top of one of the dragon slayers.

"What the hell…" Laxus grumbled, his face still plastered to the ground. One second he was diving to catch the stupid falling woman and the next he was being crushed by her stupid bird. What the hell is wrong with this woman?!

Natsu groaned before getting up. Noticing the bandaged blonde woman still lying on top of Laxus with a backpack, he tried to poke at her. "Hey…Luigi. Are you alright?"

Laxus growled. "Just get her off of me already!"

Natsu quickly lifted the unconscious woman onto his back, allowing Laxus to finally get up.

"Let's just get out of here before they send more people out," Laxus grumbled as he brushed the dirt of his clothes. This was officially the worst job he's been out on. However, as they left the castle he couldn't help, but notice that this rescue was much too easy…

It was as if they let them have her…

Laxus turned back to look up at the tower, but he didn't notice the dark black eyes staring back at him before they left.

* * *

Jackal turned back from the open window with an unreadable expression on his face. He turned towards the doorway where Seilah was standing. They both scanned the now empty room.

"She's…escaped," Seilah said, emotionless, though her eyes said otherwise.

"…Ya." Jackal answered. "Gone by the time I got here."

As he walked by the horned demon, Jackal snorted. "Way to convince her to leave."

"I have no idea what you are referring to, Jackal," Seilah replied. But they both knew what each other had done.

Jackal sighed, knowing what would come next. "Mard Geer said we needed to meet him in the throne room."

"Yes," Seilah said, turning around. "We should not keep the King waiting."

"Of course not," Jackal replied sarcastically. As he walked behind the horned demon, Jackal opened his palm. A pair of black pearl earrings. Lucille's. Closing his hand, Jackal stuffed the earrings into his pocket.

After arriving at the throne room, the two demons silently walked across vast room until they stopped and knelt in front of Mard Geer's throne.

Mard Geer stared at them with his chin in this palm. "Has she left?"

"Yes, my lord," Seilah answered. "With the two Fairy Tail mages."

"Good," Mard Geer smiled.

Jackal clenched his teeth at the creepy smile, his 'King' let out. Can never go against the King...

Mard Geer will let his pet have her little fun, her rebellious stage. Let her believe that she was truly free for a slight moment before snatching it all back. In fact, her little excursion might have some benefit for him in the future.

Regardless, she will return to him eventually.

His pets always did.

* * *

Lucille opened her eyes to a bright light. Blinking wildly in an attempt to figure out where she was, Lucille's attention was quickly diverted towards a gentle voice.

"Oh my! You're awake!"

Lucille turned her head towards the voice before snarling. "Who are you? Where am I?" The owner of the voice had long white hair with her bangs tied up in the front. Her large blue eyes seemed gentle, but Lucille knew that looks can always be deceiving.

"My name is Mirajane, but you can call me Mira. And you're at Fairy Tail."

Lucille's eyes were wide open by now. "Fairy Tail?!"

"Hai," Mira confirmed. "Though to be more exact, the infirmary. You were in pretty bad shape when Natsu and Laxus brought you back. You've been out for an entire day. But, we had Wendy take a look so you should be back to normal in no time!"

Lucille's brain was starting to swim with all the names being thrown back and forth. She attempted to sit up and while tiny pins still shot up her spine, she noted that it was definitely not as painful as she would have expected. She took a quick glance at her body and was surprised that most of the bandages have been removed, aside from a couple that wrapped around her largest injuries. She tried to move the bandages when another voice caused her to pause.

"Ah! You shouldn't touch those!"

Lucille turned towards the voice and noticed a young girl with blue hair walking towards her.

"Ah! This is Wendy," Mira introduced. "She was the one who healed you."

"Healed me?" Lucille asked, confused. Did she just change her bandages or something? Then again, she was awfully well for having gone through one of Kyoka's 'fun times'.

"Hai," the girl now known as Wendy said.

"Wendy here has healing magic," Mira explained.

Lucille recoiled as soon as she heard the word magic. "What do you mean healing magic?"

"Here," Wendy said as she approached the infirmary bed. "Let me show you." Wendy placed her two hands just above the large gash in her abdomen.

"D-Don't touch me!" Lucille screamed. What did this girl think she was trying do?

"Ah," Wendy shrunk back, slightly nervous. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

Lucille didn't trust any of these people. They were being too...nice. No one had ever been this nice to her before. All these strangers were starting to get on her nerves. She needed a familiar face. "Where's the pink-haired one?"

"Pink haired one..." Mira contemplated. "Oh! You mean Natsu. He's speaking with the Master right now. I'll go get him right away!" Mira turned towards the blue-haired girl. "Wendy, can you stay here with our guest?"

"H-Hai," Wendy said. Mira then exited the infirmary, leaving Wendy alone with their blonde haired guest. "U-Umm...I really would like to help you with your wounds. I promise I won't hurt you."

Lucille flinched. How many times had she heard her Master say that it 'wouldn't hurt', when moments later she ended in screaming pain? But as she stared into the girl's innocent looking eyes she couldn't help but feel like she wanted to trust this timid little girl. The aura she was giving off was nothing like the ones from Tartaros. This one...seemed pure. Lucille decided to take a leap of faith.

"F-Fine. But if you try anything funny, I'll kill you."

Despite her threat, the little girl lit up when she agreed. Taking the couple of steps towards her bed, Wendy raised her hands towards her abdomen and closed her eyes. Moments later, Lucille felt a tiny tingle before a gentle warmth spread throughout her wound. She continued to relax until the girl removed her hands. Curious, Lucille lifted the bandages from her abdomen to find that her wound had completely healed. She knew that she already healed faster due to the blood lacrima, but this...this was incredible.

"H-How?"

The little girl looked down, slightly embarrassed. "I-I'm a sky dragon slayer. I mainly deal in support magic. I can heal people through my magic."

Another voice cut in, "Exactly, you ungrateful woman, that's why you should be thanking Wendy, not sitting there glaring daggers at her." Lucille pulled back again in shock, another talking cat? This time, this one was white...

Wendy looked over to see Charle standing next to her with her hands on her hips. "Charle! Don't be so mean!"

"Heh!" Charle sniffed upwards. "You're helping her and she won't even say thanks."

"It's okay, Charle," Wendy said with a smile. "As long as she's safe."

"That's right," a voice butted in from the infirmary entrance. "How is the child Wendy?" Lucille turned towards the doorway to see three others standing there. One was a short old man, he was the one who had spoken. The other was the pink-haired boy...Natsu. The third one was-

"You!" Lucille shouted, pointing a finger towards Laxus. Said man gave her a smirk in return which only caused her to recoil backwards and snarl like a cornered beast.

"Laxus! Stop antagonizing our guest," the old man scolded. He then turned towards Lucille. "Young child, I apologize for my grandson's behaviour."

"Oi," the blonde haired man replied. "She was the one who snarled at me."

"Laxus..." The old man started. The taller man immediately stood back, but not without a scowl on his face. "Child. My name is Makarov. I'm the Master of this guild."

"M-Master..." Lucille whispered, before shrinking further into herself like a frightened doe. "I didn't run away from one just to serve another Master."

"Oh goodness no my dear!" Makarov exclaimed. "The title of Master is just what it is. A title. I oversee the logistics of the guild and make sure my children are protected. And that of course would include you, should you wish to join us."

"I get a choice?" Lucille asked, slightly wary.

"Of course!" Makarov confirmed. "Though I do wish for you to stay. I believe, you will quite like it here. I take it you remember Natsu?"

"Natsu..." Lucille turned towards the pink-haired boy.

"Yo Lucy..Lu..Ah right! Luigi right?" Natsu grinned, seemingly proud that he remembered her name.

"My name is not Luigi!" Lucille shouted back, having lost all her previous aggression in moments.

Suddenly a blur of light blue flew in from the doorway until it landed in her chest. She recognized the pile of fur as the flying cat...Happy.

"Lucyyyyyy!" Happy cried into her chest. "We were so worried! Y-you turned into a flying mummy!"

"A flying mummy..." Lucille tried to understand what the cat was talking about. Oh. That. Chuckling slightly, she could see how she looked like a flying mummy from the way she fell out of that window. "Did you bring me here?"

"Aye Sir!" Happy exclaimed. "Natsu carried you back. We were so worried, you were covered in so much blood."

"That's right," Wendy injected. "You lost so much blood that...you should have died."

"Oh..." Lucille stared at her body, before her eyes landed on the scar over her left breast, just barely revealed above the bandages over her chest.

"My dear, what did they do to you to cause wounds like that?" Makarov inquired, concerned. The child had been covered in so many wounds that, like Wendy, he had been surprised that the girl had survived at all.

"Oh, all this?" Lucille gestured towards her body. "It happens sometimes."

Makarov's eyes widened in shock. The girl had responded as if it was a regular occurrence. What has that dark guild been putting this girl through?

Lucille continued. "But it's okay. I can't die of blood loss anymore."

Now that had gotten the attention of the entire room.

"What do you mean?" Laxus commented out of curiousity. He wasn't as surprised as the others. Judging from the times he had traded blows with the girl, she had lost much more blood than he thought was humanly possible.

Lucille glared at the lightning man before answering. "They put something in me, in my heart-" She pointed to the scar over her bandaged chest. "-something called a...blood lacrima? Whatever it was, I can't die of blood loss anymore. I heal slightly faster as well." It's a strange feeling, Lucille couldn't quite point a finger to what it exactly was.

Laxus' eyes widened in shock. This girl...was just like him. His right eye pulsed slightly in phantom pain as he remembered how he felt when his father had placed the lightning dragon's lacrima inside his eye. He could only imagine the pain she went through.

Makarov could feel the anger building inside him. Tartaros...they had done too much to this girl. This was unacceptable behaviour. He was only glad that they finally found her and brought her back before more damage could be done.

Natsu tried to lighten up the mood, "Hey Lucy! I think it's time you met the guild!" .

"Aye! They've been excited to see you," Happy added.

"That's not my name..." Lucille was confused. Excited to see her? Why would they excited?

"Ah, Natsu is right, let's bring you out to Fairy Tail shall we?" Makarov asked, though the real question lay in its undertones.

Would you join Fairy Tail?

Lucille paused for a moment. This was it. She could either refuse and run away on her own...or stay and experience whatever this is. This guild. She took a quick glance at the smiles directed in her direction and already her heart had made its choice. Whatever this was...this guild...she wanted to try it.

She nodded. She smiled nervously at the way their faces lit up. Well, all except the tall blonde man, who still held a scowl on his face. That one she didn't trust.

Natsu walked over to her and helped her to the floor. Letting her lean against him, they headed out of the infirmary. At the end of the hallway, Lucille could hear loud noises and rambunctious shouting. Soon the space opened up to reveal...

Lucille deadpanned. "This is just a bar."

"That's where you're wrong," Makarov said with a smile, before he walked on ahead. Turns out they were on the second floor of a large bar.

Lucille turned to look down at the area below. Multiple long tables were scattered throughout the area, most of them occupied. To the left, there was an actual bar, and the woman she remembered as Mira stood behind it, pouring a couple of beers out to awaiting customers.

Makarov scanned the guild before clearing his throat and getting everyone's attention. He had told Mira to make sure that only guild members were allowed in the guild today. "You've done it again, fools. Look at all these documents I received from the council. Gray-"

Council? What's that?

A voice grunted in response. Lucille looked over the railing to locate the voice. Turns out it belonged to a dark haired boy who was...half naked?!

"Good job on sweeping out the smuggling organization, but you walked around naked in town afterwards and ran away after stealing underwear that was being dried."

"But..." The half naked boy responded. "Wouldn't it be worse if I were naked?"

The man to his left butted in, "Then don't be naked in the first place..."

Makarov continued, "Cana, drinking fifteen big barrels of alcohol and charging it to the council."

The Master wasn't done. "And Natsu..." To Lucille's left, Natsu stiffened. "You destroyed the Devon thief family, but also destroyed seven other houses that belong to the townspeople. You leveled a historical tower in Tully village, burnt down a church in Freesia, damaged parts of Lupinus Castle. Nazune ravine observatory collapsed and thus stopped its operations. You destroyed half of Hargeon ports…"

Lucille tooked to her left with wide eyes. Just who the hell is this boy?!

"Guys...the council members are angry at me all the time..." Makarov started to shake, in what seemed to be anger. Lucille flinched back, but Natsu held her firm. "But...forget about the council members! Listen up. The power to overcome reasoning is born from reasoning. Magic is not a miracle. When the 'spirit' flow within us and the 'spirit' flow in nature connects, they form an embodiment for the first time. You will need a strong mentality and a lot of concentration for that. If you keep worrying about the watchful eyes of the higher ups, your magic won't improve. Do not fear the fools of the Council!"

Makarov shouted out to the guild. "Do whatever you think is right! That's the way of the Fairy Tail Mages!"

Every person in the bar cheered loudly at the Master's words. Slightly overwhelmed, Lucille could do nothing but stare in shock. What is this place?!

The Master held a hand up, causing the bar to quiet once again. "Ah! Before I forget, we have a new member joining us today." The Master turned towards her. "Come here child."

With Natsu's help, Lucille walked to stand next to the Master, slightly nervous. Already she could hear the hushed murmurs amongst the crowd. She wouldn't be surprised if they were saying negative things about her.

A couple of moments later a shout came from the crowd. "What is your name!"

Makarov looked towards her with an encouraging smile. Even Natsu gave her slight encouragement.

"Ya…Lucille," Natsu whispered, finally getting her name right. "Tell them your name."

Lucille didn't know why, but that name coming from Natsu's lips just didn't sound right. As she stared at the crowd in front of her, so eager to know her name, she didn't know what to think. They seemed so welcoming and warm, so different from the atmosphere at Tartaros. Everything was so different, as if she was about to start a new life.

A new life…huh.

Lucille took a deep breath. "My name is…Lucy."

The crowd paused for a moment, processing her name before various forms of 'Hi Lucy', 'Welcome Lucy' rang in. Lucy couldn't help but smile slightly at the warmth she felt spreading inside of her.

Natsu turned towards her with a wide grin after hearing her use his nickname. "Welcome to Fairy Tail, Lucy!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: Finally she's at Fairy Tail! Didn't think it would take this long, but she got there. The rescue part of the chapter may seem a little toned down, but I didn't want them knowing too much about Tartaros for now (so storming the castle wasn't an option) and also Lucy is a very independent woman. I wanted this to mirror the tower fall from the manga (Phantom Lord Arc), but despite the feels I got when Natsu caught her in the manga, this Lucy wasn't gonna let some prince (or fire breathing dragon if Natsu gets his way lol) rescue her. Nah, she's gonna rescue herself, well almost LOL. Anyways, thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows so far! I'm surprised at the interest this is getting.**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	6. Start of a New Life

**Chapter 6**

Lucy had been quite overwhelmed by the attention she was getting from all the people in the bar, causing the Master to have to intervene.

"Now, now," Makarov said, his arms in the air. "You'll have more chances to talk to our new member. For now, she needs some rest." He turned towards Laxus. "Laxus, help Lucy into my office. We need to talk. Freed, please follow as well."

Natsu protested, but the Master told him to stay behind. Pouting, the fire dragon slayer returned to the first floor to join his friends.

Lucy immediately flinched away as soon as Laxus neared her. "Don't touch me. I can walk there on my own." She didn't trust that man. Not at all.

Laxus merely held his hands up in mock defeat before letting the girl walk in front of him. It wasn't like he wanted to help her in the first place. But he did raise a brow as he followed his grandfather. What was this meeting about? Why did he need Freed as well?

Lucy sat down in an arm chair in front of the Master's desk, while Makarov settled into his own. Laxus and Freed remained standing by the door.

Makarov cleared his voice. "Now, my dear, if you don't mind, could you tell us a little about yourself?"

Lucy looked suspiciously at the old man. "Is this an interrogation?"

Makarov frowned. It was saddening to see a young child so distrusting of anyone else. "No. You may tell us however much you want us to know."

"Well, where do you want me to start?"

Makarov didn't start off easy. "How about your parents then? Do you know where they are?"

Lucy answered bluntly, her voice cold and emotionless. "Don't have any…anymore." As far as she knew, her mother was dead and her father was dead to her.

Laxus snorted over by the door, earning him a couple of hard stares. She was a classic Fairy Tail brat. Parentless.

"Alright," Makarov continued, trying to ignore his grandson. "How long were you at Tartaros for?"

Lucy thought over that question before answering. "Since I was young."

"And what did you do for Tartaros?"

Lucy snorted, glancing over at Laxus. "I think you already know what I did. But if you want me to be specific, lately I specialized in debt collection." Though she had dabbled in other sectors. Robberies, assassinations and other sorts. Though she did tend to stay away from grand arson. That was more of Jackal's flavour. She also didn't dabble in Tartaros' main operations. No that was left to the demons.

Laxus growled. Debt collection. Is that what she called her 'activities'?!

"Debt collection?" Makarov tried to clarify.

"Exactly what it sounds like," Lucy replied with a bored tone. "I get sent to collect long overdue debts from the stuck up businessmen. And if people don't pay up…then let's just say it doesn't end well for them."

Laxus glared at the blonde. He knew exactly what she did to those who didn't pay. The image of the little girl rocking back and forth in a sea of her own father's blood was still burned into the back of his mind. It bothered him that he didn't seem to sense any remorse coming from the girl.

Makarov didn't show any signs of being affected by what she said. "Did you ever try to leave?"

Lucy laughed, but it was dry and sarcastic. "No one leaves Tartaros unless you're six feet under."

Laxus snorted. "Then I'm surprised you're still here."

"That's one thing we agree upon," Lucy said with a sharp glare. "Besides. My debt to them has not been paid. I couldn't leave." Lucy flinched. She's said too much.

"Debt? What sort of debt?" Makarov asked. This girl seemed too young to owe a dark guild so much money that they would imprison her for it.

"That is none of your concern," Lucy retorted, before realizing that she was starting to be rude. "Look, I know I said I'll stay, but if it's too much for you guys I can just go my own way. Wouldn't want to trouble you."

Makarov looked back at her, determined. "I will not turn away someone who wishes to join my guild for a reason such as that. I promise you that I'll protect my children. And that includes you now."

Lucy looked down at her hands in her lap. "They'll come looking for me."

"Gramps, why don't we just go snuff them out now? Get this over with once and for all," Laxus butted in. "We have the location of their headquarters."

This time, Lucy's laughter was mocking. "If you think they haven't relocated and renovated by now, you're an idiot."

Laxus growled, but was stopped by his grandfather's gaze.

"What do you mean by relocation?" Makarov asked. Now this he was intrigued about.

Lucy contemplated for a while as to whether she should answer the question or not. Then again, even if she did, it made no difference. She had no idea where the base was now, she wouldn't be able to offer up any important information.

"Every time something happens," Lucy started. "Tartaros relocates. As in, the entire base moves somewhere entirely new. I don't know how they do it, it just happens." She remembered the last time she failed to pay attention to where the base had moved. She spent two nights sleeping outside underneath the stars until Seilah had found her. Or well, one of her toys did.

"And they don't just relocate…they redecorate." Lucy shivered at that thought. There were six months one year when her Master decided it would be fun to turn the base into well…a fun house. She did not appreciate having to navigate through the haunted house of demons trying to find her own room. Nor did she appreciate Jackal jumping out into the hall of mirrors to just to scare her. If she had returned to the base now, she wouldn't be able to find where her own room was.

Laxus cursed. "So there's no way to find them."

"We wouldn't have remained around if it was so easy to find us," Lucy remarked.

"Were there others with you?" Makarov inquired, slightly bothered by the fact that she still referred to herself as being a part of the dark guild.

Lucy stared at the old man with a cold expression. "I don't wish to die that fast you know. If I told you anything about the others, I'll be dead by the end of the night."

Makarov sighed, knowing when it was time to stop.

Suddenly Freed cleared his throat. "Ah, Master. Pardon my intrusion, but I was wondering where I fit into this conversation." He had been standing her silently next to Laxus, but was confused throughout the entire ordeal. Looking towards Laxus, he noted that the lightning mage seemed to understand everything. Was this what Laxus was involved with for the past week? Was this girl Laxus' secret mission?

"Ah! That's right," Makarov exclaimed, suddenly remembering something. He turned back towards Lucy, who was starting to get more uncomfortable. "Lucy, could you tell us about your magic?"

Lucy looked at him, slightly confused before understanding. "You mean my curse?"

Freed looked towards Laxus in concern, but one look from his leader told him to remain silent for the time being.

"We will call it such for the time being," Makarov said.

Lucy stared at the old man before sighing. "I don't know when it started, but it was probably around when I turned ten. I was walking back to base when I suddenly heard a voice. There was no one around so I thought I was crazy, but I heard it again. Then, I saw it. A raven, with three eyes. It asked for my blood, and me, being the clueless ten year old that I was, I gave it to her. After that, the contract was sealed."

She still remembered that day as clear as if it had been yesterday. Naberius had been her very first demon. As a lesser demon, the contract had been easily sealed with Naberius' acceptance of her blood. She hadn't even known that she had caught her until the day after, when she was attacked by a couple of drug addicts. Naberius had called out to her, telling her to summon her. She didn't know what had happened; the words just came to the front of her mind. The drug addicts probably thought they were hallucinating when a large raven appeared out of a cloud of dark smoke. Then again, they were most likely already hallucinating before anything even happened. Naberius had safely carried her back home that night. Let's just say, since that day, Mard Geer had taken an uncomfortably strong interest in her.

Freed had remained silent, but he had a strong inkling as to what this girl's magic truly was. He had read about it a couple of times. Demon summoning. No one why the dark guild had taken a liking to this girl.

"Can we see?" Freed asked, curious.

Lucy turned around to study the man next to the rude lightning man. He had unnaturally green hair, with long bangs covering one of his eyes. Based off his speech patterns, he was well educated…another one of those people was he?

Lucy turned back to face the old man, who nodded at her gently.

"Don't be afraid," Makarov said.

Lucy scoffed. "It is you who should be afraid." Her curse…had killed many, and she knew that the man Cerberus killed not too long ago…would most likely not be her last.

Lucy sighed, before staring down at her wrists. Unsurprised, she noticed that her cuffs were still there, before pressing down on one of them, feeling the familiar sting as the sharp needle sunk into her skin, drawing blood.

Laxus perked up at the scent of the girl's blood once again. He just hoped she wasn't summoning that freakish fire beast he remembered from the rooftop.

Before she opened her mouth, Freed spoke. "What are those?" Freed asked, gesturing to the cuffs.

"Gifts," Lucy answered. "From my Master. They keep things…less messy." She remembered the first couple of times she had tried summoning. She had cut her wrists with a small dagger she had found lying around. Let's just say she had almost died of blood loss…and the clean up afterwards was a pain. "Are we done with the questions?"

"Yes, of course," Freed answered, dismissing the girl's slightly rude tone.

Lucy took a deep breath before envisioning Naberius' gate once more. Opening the midnight blue, feathered gate was easy now. She held her palm out. She didn't even need the entire enchantment for Naberius, but for the sake of theatricality she decided to calmly say the words.

"Open. Demon Gate of the Raven. Naberius."

Both Makarov and Freed had sharp intakes of breath as they watched the midnight blue raven appear in a cloud of dark smoke. Immediately perching itself on Lucy's shoulder, the raven looked all around, surveying the room. They immediately noticed the unnatural third eye on the raven's forehead.

"Demon…" Freed whispered.

Lucy reached a hand up to pet the raven, having heard Freed's whisper. "And this, is my curse." Moments later, she sent Naberius back to the underworld.

"My dear, this isn't a curse. It's a gift," Makarov insisted. He needed this girl to understand that she was not to fear her magic. "What you have is magic. Just like the rest of us here in this guild."

"If that's what you want to call it," Lucy scoffed. She refused to believe that something so deadly could be called something as innocent as 'magic'.

"Lucy, I want you to attend the academy starting on Monday, when the new school year starts," Makarov notified.

"Academy?" Lucy asked, warily. It wasn't what she thought it was…was it?

Makarov nodded. "All the children here at the guild learn about their magic through our academy. While most start at a young age and enter through our elementary program, I think we can make an exception for you. You'll start classes with Natsu's year. You are of a similar age I believe."

"You're kidding me…" Lucy said, bewildered. School…she's never been to school before. Her entire life she had spent within the walls of Tartaros, her only education having come from Seilah and the books in the library. To go to school was, she couldn't even believe she was thinking this…exciting.

"I do not kid my dear," Makarov said. "It will be overwhelming at first, but here is where Freed will come into play."

"Me? Master?" Freed asked, confused.

"Yes, while I understand you will be busy with your duties, I was hoping you could be Lucy's private tutor."

"Private tutor?!" Lucy exclaimed. What did she need one of those for?"

Freed smiled, slightly excited at his task. He was always astounded by new forms of magic. And this girl's magic was definitely something he had never seen before. "Of course, Master."

Makarov nodded. "Now that we've got that out of the way, there's one last thing. Freed can you go get Mira, and ask her to bring the guild stamp."

Freed nodded, before exiting the Master's office.

"Guild?" Lucy asked.

"That's what we are, Lucy. A guild. A collection of mages under one roof. And now you are one of us." Makarov explained.

Just on cue, Mira arrived with the guild stamp in hand. "Here you go Master. Where should I place the guild mark?"

Lucy flinched back for a second, remembering what was currently branded above her right breast. "You can't…"

Makarov understood immediately, but remained firm. It will be painful, but to truly remove Tartaros from this girl's mind, it must be done. "We'll have to remove it. But it will be painful."

Lucy held in her breath, but nodded. It was the start to her new life. She needed it removed. She glanced down at the mark that branded her a member of Tartaros. It had been on her for as long as she could remember. And now…it's about to be gone.

The Master stood on his own office desk, before reaching over and hovering his hand above Lucy's Tartaros guild mark. Within moments, Lucy tensed up.

Laxus studied the blonde as his grandfather removed her mark. He had to give it to her. While he didn't have any firsthand experience, he knew that the removal of a guild mark by someone other than a guild member was painful. The blonde on the other hand was sitting there taking it in strides. He watched as sweat dripped down her forehead, her hands balled into fists and her teeth gritted together, but she didn't scream. Didn't even let out a peep.

Lucy had to admit that the pain was prominent. But if she had to be honest, this was nothing compared to one of Kyoka's fun times. If this was what it took to start her new life, then she would be glad to do it again.

It was over moments later, leaving Lucy breathing heavy. Mira came over with a damp towel and wiped down Lucy's forehead. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Lucy answered. "Been through worse."

Mira scrunched her brows in worry, but didn't probe any further. She decided to move the topic to something more pleasant. "So what colour would you like your guild mark and where would you like me to place it?"

"Black." There was no debate about the colour, Lucy had always known that she belonged in the darkness, but she did contemplate on its location for a couple moments, before deciding. "The same place as my old one." She wanted to replace her old mark, to see something different in the mirror than what she had been seeing for the past ten years of her life.

Mira nodded before applying the guild mark above Lucy's right breast. "There you go!"

Lucy looked down at her new mark and let out a genuine smile. "It's perfect."

Mira gave her a gentle smile back, before looking to the Master. Understanding the Master's wishes, Mira held a hand out to Lucy. "Let's go show the guild shall we?"

Lucy paused for a moment before agreeing. It was a lot of people to meet in one day, but she figured she should start getting used to interacting with more humans. Hanging around demons all the time was definitely not the most advantageous to her social skills.

Freed also left with the pair, intending on helping Lucy set up the things she needed in order to start classes on Monday, leaving only Laxus and the Master in the office.

They remained silent for a couple of moments, before Makarov coughed.

"So what do you think my boy?" Makarov asked.

"She's messed up alright," Laxus said, arms crossed in front of him. His Sound Pods were over his ears, the cords feeding from a pocket in his large fur-collared coat currently hanging over his shoulders. "I still don't trust her."

Makarov had a thoughtful expression on his face. "Mm…I understand, but Lucy has been through a lot. We must try to get her to understand."

"So what do you want from me?" Laxus asked, pretty much asking his grandfather to cut to the chase.

"Keep an eye on her for the time being," Makarov answered, his voice serious. "I want to know if any members of Tartaros attempt to contact her."

Laxus nodded, before leaving them office.

Makarov sat back in his chair, before sighing. He hoped everything would turn out alright.

* * *

As Mira walked Lucy downstairs to the bar, Lucy caught Natsu's eye, who immediately bounded up the stairs to meet her.

"Yo Lucy!" Natsu grinned as he engulfed the fire chicken he was holding in his hand.

"Natsu," Lucy greeted with a smile. She didn't know why, but seeing the pink-haired boy seemed to improve her mood. She suddenly remembered something. "Oh! Look!" She pointed towards her new guild mark with a nervous smile.

"Woah! That's awesome!" Natsu exclaimed. Immediately he grabbed hold of Lucy's wrist, dragging her away from Mira, who was watching with a smile. "Let me introduce you to everyone."

Lucy hesitated in her step, causing Natsu to stop as well. "So soon?"

Natsu turned back around, slightly confused. "What's wrong?"

"That's a lot of people…" Lucy said, slightly nervous. She's never interacted with so many people before. Sure there were always Tartaros' followers, many of them, but they had always kept their distance around her. She made them nervous, though she didn't blame them.

Natsu seemed to understand slightly. "Oh…hmm…here let's do this!" Natsu dragged Lucy off to an empty table by the corner, away from the main crowd in the guild. "Stay here for a sec okay?"

Lucy nodded slowly. "Alright…" She watched as Natsu bounded off towards another table full of people. She shrank back slightly when they all turned around and looked at her. She freaked out inwardly when Natsu came back with another boy with dark hair. She instinctively put her mental shields back up, untrusting of her new visitor.

"Lucy!" Natsu smiled. "This is Gray." Natsu pointed to the boy he brought over. "He's a little bit of a pervert-"

"Haaa?!" Gray snarled before grinding his forehead against Natsu's. "Who are you calling a pervert? Flame brain!"

Natsu's eyes narrowed before pushing back. "I am, pervert. Look, Lucy agrees, right?"

Lucy's expression was wary. "You're not wearing any clothes…" Well, it's not like she's never been in this situation before. However, she was slightly surprised when the boy eeped and looked around for his articles of clothing.

"I swear I had them on just moments ago…" Gray said, while spinning around, before stopping in front of Lucy. "Can I borrow your underwear?"

Lucy pulled backwards, glaring at the weird naked boy. "What?"

"Oi Gray! Stop being such a weirdo!" Natsu shouted.

Gray blushed slightly. "Ahem. Right. Well, anyways, Gray Fullbuster. I deal in ice magic."

"Ice magic?" Lucy asked warily. Her mind was still trying to grasp that magic still existed. All these different kinds of magic were a little overwhelming.

Gray put on an arrogant smirk, before pressing a fist to his palm. Within seconds a chill was felt in the air and a rose made of ice materialized within Gray's palm.

To say Lucy was amazed was an understatement. "How?..." She was used to seeing Tartaros' curses as well as her own that only seemed to inflict pain or death. Never before has she seen something so beautiful…

"I'm an ice make mage," Gray said proudly. "I can make anything out of ice."

"Hey! I can do cool stuff too!" Natsu protested.

"Ohh really…" Gray taunted. "All you are capable of doing is burning stuff down."

"That's not true!" Natsu argued, fists already lit in flames, looking for a fight.

"Are you sure?" Gray retorted. "Because I swear Gramps just said that you burned down half of Hargeon's port!"

"At least I wasn't strutting around town half naked!"

Natsu and Gray continued to argue until they stopped after hearing Lucy's laughter. Lucy couldn't help but laugh at the two boys in front of her. She'd never seen too people argue like this before. It was…funny.

"Alright! Enough of you Gray!" Natsu announced, while dragging a naked Gray back to his own table. "Time for the next one!"

Another one? Lucy sat back slightly concerned. She didn't know if she could handle anymore naked boys…

Thankfully the next one was a seemingly polite short girl with blue hair tied back with an orange ribbon.

"Hi!" The girl announced as she ran towards her, ignoring Natsu's protests. "My name is Levy! Levy McGarden! You're Lucy right?"

Lucy blushed slightly at how friendly this new girl was. She didn't have contact with girls very often. Was this how friendships started? She had read about them in the books that she had quietly bought when she went out on missions, secretly wishing she had friends like that too. This girl, her friendly personality, seemed to come straight out of one of her books. Lucy pinched her own cheeks, flinching when she felt pain.

"Why did you do that?" Levy asked, slightly concerned.

Lucy flushed. "Just making sure this was real." As much as Lucy wanted to stay guarded, somehow these people made it really hard to do so.

"Of course we're real silly!" Levy smiled. "Anyways! I want to show you my magic!"

"You have magic too?" Lucy asked, slightly curious now. She wanted to know if her magic was just as beautiful as Gray's…

"Of course!" Levy exclaimed. "We all do! Just watch!" Levy moved a couple of steps back before holding her hands out.

"Solid Script: Flowers!"

Lucy's eyes widened. In moments, multiple bouquets of various kinds of flowers had sprouted out of thin air in front of her. "That's amazing…"

Levy blushed slightly. "It's nothing much."

Natsu was starting to get slightly annoyed that Lucy was amazed by everyone else's magic except his own. "Time to go back, Levy!" He dragged the solid script mage back towards her table. He didn't even get the chance to grab the next one as she was already at Lucy's table.

"Wait! Erza!"

Lucy's guard went up immediately as soon as the next woman approached her. She was wearing a suit of armor and seemed to be approaching her with a determined aura. What did she want?

"You're Lucy correct?" Erza asked. She had been curious about the new addition to the guild and was slightly annoyed that Natsu had brought Gray and Levy to her first. So she decided to take things into her own hands.

Lucy studied the woman before replying. "That's correct." What was it about this woman that had her so on edge?

"I'm Erza. Erza Scarlet." Erza announced, holding her hand out.

Lucy hesitantly took Erza's hand, though she shook it firmly, not wanting to show any weakness.

"Hmm, you've got a strong grip," Erza remarked pleasantly.

"So what magic do you have?" Lucy asked.

Erza gave her an arrogant smile. "Glad you asked." Immediately a circle of swords appeared around Erza, all pointing towards Lucy.

Lucy immediately keened backwards, eyes narrowing. She was almost about to summon Cerberus, when Natsu jumped in between them.

"Erza! What are you doing scaring Lucy like that!" Natsu shouted.

Erza having realized what she must have looked like immediately called back her swords and fell to one knee. She flushed. "I apologize! Please punish me as you see fit!"

Lucy was slightly taken aback. Just a moment ago this woman looked like she wanted to kill her and the next she wanted to her to punish her? What is with these people? They were so…odd.

"Okay Erza! Back!" Natsu commanded.

Immediately Erza's dark mood arose. "What did you say…Natsu?"

Natsu squeaked and tried to hide behind Lucy, who was still confused at the major mood swings this woman was capable of. "Please…?"

Apparently that was enough for the sword woman as she turned back around to join the others. "I'll see you in class, Lucy?"

"A-Ah." Lucy nodded. This girl was in her classes as well?

"Ah! I forgot that classes started on Monday…" Natsu puffed, sitting down next to Lucy. "Ugh…classes suck. They're so boring."

"Really?" Lucy asked, kind of disappointed. She was slightly looking forward to school.

"Well…kind of," Natsu said sheepishly, placing an arm behind his head. "But its not so bad because all our friends are going to be there. Ah speaking of which, I can bring the next one over."

Lucy grabbed hold of Natsu's arm before he could get up. "I-I think that's enough for today." It was a little overwhelming having to deal with so many new people in one day.

Natsu only gave her a smile in return. "Alright! We'll meet the rest of our friends on Monday anyways!"

"Our…friends?" Lucy repeated slowly. That was the second time that Natsu had mentioned that.

Natsu looked over at Lucy before panicking. "O-Oi Lucy, why are you crying?"

Even Lucy was shocked, bringing a hand up to her cheek and feeling wetness on her fingertips. She was crying? "I-I don't know…I guess its cause I've never had friends before…"

"Silly Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed. "That's nothing to cry over."

"You're right," Lucy nodded with a slight smile, but inside she was still a little wary.

This was too good to be true…right?

* * *

Lucy had been set up in a small apartment near the guild, seeing as she didn't have enough funds to afford living at Fairy Hills, the female dorm. To be honest, she didn't want to tell them that she had no funds at all. The rewards she had received on her past jobs had always been funneled back to Tartaros. She had only ever been allowed to keep enough funds for basic survival. Thankfully, the Master said that the first month of rent was on the guild.

Later that night, Lucy found herself tossing and turning in her new bed.

Another nightmare.

This time, she found herself unable to breath, seemingly drowning in an endless sea of darkness.

 _It's my turn, brat._

What?

 _You heard me! I'm getting summoned next!_

Who are you?

 _Tch. You're so clueless._ _My name is..._

Suddenly she could make out a towering gate within the water.

 _Leviathan._

* * *

 _ **A/N: And so she meets the gang! For the reviewer who asked how she was going to learn and understand magic, I hope this gives you a slight insight. Private lessons with Freed. LOL. I can already imagine how that would go. Also, a lot of you have asked whether she would be able to use the celestial keys. I've been debating a LOT about that, and as of now I'm still unsure. Adding celestial magic into the mix would make things a lot more complicated (not to mention adding a lot more characters in), but I will consider it.**_

 ** _Until next chapter!_**


	7. Second Demon Gate of the Serpent

**Chapter 7**

Lucy groaned as the sun filtered in through the curtains and turned into her pillow in attempt to block the light. It was too early in the morning to wake up. For some reason, she felt a light breeze over the side of her face. Did she leave the window open last night? Even more odd was the fact that her right side was really warm. In fact, it was too warm. Her right hand moved in an attempt to push away what was making her so hot.

Wait. Why was there something solid under her hand. Lucy pushed against the object again, but this time a groan accompanied the solid feeling.

A groan?...

Lucy yelped and sprang out of bed, pulling the blanket off in the process. She grabbed the knife from underneath her pillow and pointed towards the mess of pink hair. Wait pink hair?

Natsu's voice drifted into her ears. "Ugh…Lucy…what are you doing?"

"What am I doing?! What are you doing?!" Lucy demanded, slightly flustered. What the hell was Natsu doing in her bed? She did _not_ remember him being there when she went to sleep the night before.

Natsu finally noticed the knife pressed against his throat. Immediately his hands went up.

"Lucy…I'm not going to hurt you." Natsu said, slightly depressed at how defensive she was. He knew it must have been from what she's been through being in that dark guild, but for some reason it made him sad. "Trust me?"

Lucy stared at the pink-haired boy for a couple more seconds before relaxing and slowly putting the knife down on her bedside table. Trust him. She wished she could do just that. But, she learned long ago that trusting someone was akin to a death sentence.

And yet, somehow she found herself wanting to trust him. Why is that…

Lucy sighed. "What are you doing here Natsu?"

Natsu's mood bounced back. He grinned, but even he had forgotten why he was here. Lucy's bed sure was comfy...it was making him sleepy again. "Why was I here again?...Hey Happy…why were we here again?"

Happy's here too?!

"Aye!" Happy's voice came out from the pile of blankets on the floor. The pile of blankets shuffled around until the blue cat crawled out from underneath. "We came to get Lucy for school! But then you saw Lucy's bed and said five more minutes then fell asleep!"

"School?" Lucy asked slowly. She still hadn't let him off the hook yet for the bed situation, but she'll deal with it later.

"Ya school…" Natsu said, his voice still sleepy as he rubbed his eyes. Then he suddenly sprang up. "School! We're going to be late! Oh my god Erza's going to kill us!"

Lucy suddenly remembered as well. She had been so disoriented for the past two days that she had forgotten that today was Monday. She panicked as she quickly ran around the room, gathering her uniform as well as a bra and a pair of underwear. She quickly winced at how small her clothes collection was. Thankfully, sets of the school uniform were provided as well as the books and supplies she needed. She quickly ran to her bathroom and got ready in record time.

"Hurry up Lucy! We're going to be late!" Natsu smiled. Despite her obviously trying to hide it, he could tell that she was excited.

"I'm coming!" Lucy called as she grabbed her backpack. She paused for a moment as she remembered the last time it was packed. It was sad how all her belongings from Tartaros had been able to fit inside the one bag. But enough of those thoughts.

Lucy had been about to head out the door to her studio apartment when she noticed that Natsu was climbing out her open window.

"What are you doing?"

"Leaving, duh." Natsu said as if it was only natural to leave out the window of someone's house. "Hurry up. Happy's going to fly us to the academy. It's faster than running."

"Natsu…" Happy interjected. "I don't think I can carry the both of you. Lucy seems a little too heavy for me to carry…"

"Are you calling me fat?!" Lucy exclaimed in annoyance. She had been called many things over the years, but fat was definitely not one of them. "Whatever. I don't need you. I can fly on my own."

"Really Lucy?" Natsu asked excitedly. "Can you sprout wings or something?"

Lucy gave him a look that pretty much said 'seriously…'. "No, I can't, but I can summon someone that can."

"Oh…that bird?" Natsu asked, slightly perturbed. "Alright…as long as it doesn't crush me again…"

Lucy deadpanned. "It won't."

"Yosh! Let's go then!" Natsu shouted as he jumped out the window. Happy quickly followed suit, grabbing Natsu by the shoulders.

Lucy stepped onto the window, taken slight note how weird it was to leave like this, before jumping and calling out Naberius. The large three eyed raven appeared just in time for Lucy to land on her back before they headed out.

As they flew, Lucy noted that they were heading towards the bar.

"The academy is by the bar?" Lucy asked. She still wasn't used to calling it a 'guild'. Besides that, she didn't notice anything that looked like it could be an academy when she was there before.

Natsu grinned as he turned towards her. "Something like that. You'll see!"

Lucy looked at Natsu warily before facing forward once again. Soon they passed over the bar entirely and were now flying over the lake behind it. "Natsu…this is just a lake."

"Hey Lucy…you're quite impatient aren't you," Natsu commented. "Besides, don't you see it yet?"

"See what?" Lucy asked confused. There was nothing to see, just a large open lake.

"The academy!" Natsu exclaimed. "Normal mundanes can't, since Gramps placed a spell over it, but you have magic so you should be able to see it."

"What are you talking abo-"

Lucy suddenly gasped as she finally saw what Natsu was referring to. It was as if a veil had lifted over the lake, revealing the spectacle underneath it. Words couldn't describe what she was seeing at the moment.

It was simply…magical.

As they flew towards the island that was now visible to her eyes, Lucy had the time to appreciate the buildings that had come into her view. Though buildings weren't exactly the right words to describe them. Made of stone or old brick, the tall, almost castle like buildings were timely, but classic. Small vines trailed up their walls, adding to the overall atmosphere.

Lucy could only imagine what it would look like on the inside.

Even the cobblestone pathways amidst the wide open greenery added to the entire aesthetic of the campus.

Lucy noticed something. "The island…it's so big for the size of the lake. How does it all fit?"

Natsu laughed. "Lucy…you're so weird. Magic of course!"

Right magic. Somehow, Lucy was finally starting to believe that magic was real. This sight alone was enough to convince her.

Below them, she could begin to see people approaching the island as well. Many of which travelled along a long cobblestone bridge stretching from behind the…guild, across the waters and all the way to the island. Others seemed to travel by what seemed to be a motor boat along the water.

"Natsu, why didn't we just use the boat as well?"

She took a quick look to her left only to see that the pink haired boy's face had turned a sickly green.

Natsu's cheeks puffed. "No boats…no transportation."

"Natsu doesn't do well with transportation," Happy explained. "He gets motion sickness."

For the first time in years, Lucy giggled.

She continued to gaze down at the scenery below with wide eyes. She noticed that some of the students had different uniforms compared to hers and seemed to be gravitating towards general areas of the island. In fact, the island seemed to be slightly segregated. Starting from where the cobblestone path reached the island, the path continued forward until it stopped at a central, castle-like building in the middle of the island. From there, the island seemed to split into three areas, each with its own set of buildings. The different groups of students gravitated towards different areas, and from what she could tell it was by age.

Natsu, having recovered from his mock motion sickness, had allowed Lucy some time to herself to soak in the wonders of the island, before he decided to act as somewhat of a tour guide.

"Welcome to Fairy Academy, Lucy."

She didn't look towards him, but he could see the way her eyes glimmered as she continued to glance all around.

"This is the Great Hall," Natsu explained as they flew over the central building. This one looked most like a castle, towering over the rest and overlooking the majority of the island. In the middle stood a large clock tower, displaying the time: 8:55AM.

"You see over there?" Natsu pointed towards a group of young children. They were wearing simple white polo shirts, with the Fairy Tail emblem emblazoned on the left chest pocket. Girls wore skirts while the boys wore pants or shorts. They headed towards the left triad of the island, with buildings of short stature. "Those kids are heading towards Fairy Elementary. I started off there too! Usually you start when you are about six. That's where they first teach you about magic and how to use it properly."

Lucy could only nod in amazement as they flew by. The next group they saw were older, seemingly in their teens as they headed towards the right triad of the island. The girls of the group wore blue and white sailor uniforms while the guys wore dress shirts with cardigans on top and black pants. Again, the symbol of Fairy Tail was easily seen on their left side.

"Them over there, they go to Fairy High," Natsu explained. The buildings on this side of the island were slightly taller and seemed to occupy more land. "You spend four years in Fairy High, learning more advanced techniques to your magic as well as...umm...I kinda forgot already, but that just means it's not important!"

Lucy was starting to get slightly overwhelmed by all that she was taking in.

Natsu and Happy took her all the way across to the far end of the island.

"And this is Fairy University!" Natsu said happily. "This is our stop!"

This area took up the most space of the island and was filled with acres upon acres of green space. It was beautiful. The students heading into this area along the cobblestone paths were dressed in a similar fashion to her and Natsu. Females were to wear a simple white collared dress shirt and a red tie underneath a black button up blazer with white trims along the collar. A simple black pleated skirt with white trim accompanied the ensemble. Males wore similar articles of clothing, but with black dress pants instead. Again, the Fairy Tail emblem was emblazoned on the left breast pocket of each student's blazer.

Natsu noticed the slightly nervous expression on Lucy's face. "Hey Lucy…are you okay?"

"This is a lot to take in…"

"Hey! Don't be nervous, you got me here!" Natsu grinned as he pointed a thumb towards himself.

"Aye! And me too!" Happy chimed in.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Lucy asked, slightly suspicious. Usually people didn't act that nice unless they wanted something.

Natsu looked confused. "What are you talking about? Didn't I already tell you that we're friends?"

"Friends..." Lucy didn't know what else to say as she stared down at her hands. She finally had a friend…

They slowed down as they reached an open set of golden gates. Happy finally let go Natsu on the ground. Lucy quickly followed suit, jumping gracefully off of Naberius before the raven returned to the underworld in a flash of smoke.

Natsu turned back around to take a quick glance at the clock tower. 8:59AM

"This is where we need to start to run," Natsu said, slightly panicked. He grabbed Lucy's hand, despite her protests and began to run inside the gates. "Erza would kill us if she caught us flying in. Something about it being inappropriate."

"But where are we going?!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes drifting to where her hand was connected to Natsu's. This was all too much to take in and the day hasn't even started.

"Opening ceremony of course!" Natsu shouted as they continued to run. "It's our first day as university students!"

The two running mages didn't notice the trio of casually walking students as they swept by them in a hurry.

* * *

Bickslow laughed as he saw Natsu running desperately past him. Ah first years. It's been a while since he was one of those. He stuck his hands into his pants pockets as he walked. Bickslow's style of dress wasn't exactly the model student type. His blazer jacket was unbuttoned and his shirt was messily untucked with his tie hanging loosely around his neck.

"Oi Natsu! Late on the first day already?!" He shouted to their already disappearing backs.

"Don't provoke him," Laxus said as they casually walked to class, with his hands in his pockets as well. He eyed the new girl. It annoyed him that he had to keep an eye out for her. What a pain. His blazer was also unbuttoned along with the first couple of buttons to his dress shirt, leaving a portion of his bare chest visible. This also meant that his tie was nowhere to be found on his person.

Bickslow didn't miss the sight of the new blonde that was trailing behind the fire mage. Nor did he miss the way her skirt had caught the wind as they ran by. "Is that the new girl?"

"Oh that's right. Her name's Lucy right?" Evergreen commented as she walked on the other side of Laxus. Her uniform was almost properly worn, with the exception of a few unbuttoned buttons off the top of her dress shirt, allowing for a modest amount of cleavage to be shown underneath her slightly loose tie.

"Whatever her name is, she's a damn looker that's for sure," Bickslow added with a perverted grin and his tongue hanging out.

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Come on. We don't got all day for you to drool over the new girl."

"Hai Boss." Bickslow mock saluted.

Evergreen looked over her shoulder. "They're heading to welcoming ceremony for the first years are they not? Isn't that where Freed is?"

"Ah right, that goody two shoes," Bickslow laughed. "Probably already making his speech as we speak…"

* * *

"Eh hem."

All the students gathered in the open field in front of the stage seemed to ignore the person up on the stage as he cleared his throat.

"Eh hem!"

There was slight feedback in the lacrima microphone causing the attention of the new and excited students to immediately be directed towards the stage. The man standing in the middle of the stage had long well-groomed green hair and blue eyes. His uniform was pristine, not a single article of clothing was out of place. His eyebrow twitched as he noticed a pair of students running into the ceremony late. One with pink hair and the other with blonde.

"Good morning students. As many of you would know my name is Freed Justine. I am this year's Student Council President of Fairy University."

He had paused for light applause, but the silence was deafening.

Lucy and Natsu were panting by the time they arrived at ceremony grounds.

"Just in time!" Natsu exclaimed, not trying to be quiet.

"Shh!" Happy whispered. "Freed's going to hear us…"

Slightly miffed, Freed continued. "I would like to welcome you all to your first year on this campus. Most of you would have transitioned here from Fairy High, and I do hope that your transfer to the university atmosphere will be as smooth as possible. That being said, the same rules apply, which your first year representative will reiterate. Those who violate those rules shall be strictly dealt with."

"Ahh Freed always scares me when he gets serious like that," Natsu whispered.

"Next I would like to introduce your first year representative, Erza Scarlet."

The red-haired woman walked onto the stage, her entire visage just as pristine as the one who had just walked down from the stage.

"Good morning," Erza said into the microphone, her voice echoing throughout the speakers. "My name is Erza Scarlet. I'm your first year representative. Like Freed mentioned, you are to follow all of the rules of the Academy both in and off campus. That means attending all scheduled lectures on time, paying attention in class, maintaining your school uniform and most importantly no fighting. Do you all understand?"

Various forms of 'yes' were murmured amongst the crowd.

"Natsu, Gray," Erza's voice was commanding. "Do you understand?"

Within the crowd, both Gray and Natsu paled. "H-Hai!" "H-Hai!"

"Very well. You are dismissed."

The crowd started to disperse, everyone heading into different directions for their first class of the day. Lucy was slightly intimidated and immediately put her shields back up. That Erza she met a couple of days ago was the first year representative? And she was to attend private tutoring lessons from the student council president?!

Lucy suddenly heard a couple of voices approaching them.

"Hey Flamebrain! I hope I don't have class with you this semester!" Gray shouted as he walked over. Lucy raised a brow as she noticed his attire. Or lack thereof. He seems to have been missing the entire ensemble for his upper body…

"Shut up ice breath! It's not like I want to be in a class with you either."

Suddenly a dark aura approached. "Natsu, Gray. Are you two fighting already?"

"N-No Erza!" The two chimed in as they hugged each other.

"Mmm," Erza approved, her mood immediately lightening up. "Ah Lucy, have you settled in?"

Lucy nodded. "I had the past couple of days to adjust to my new apartment." Now if only she could find a way to prevent intruders from entering and stealing half her bed space…

"That's good," Erza said. "Don't hesitate to ask me for any help. That's my duty as first year representative after all." Erza's eyes gleamed proudly.

"Hey Lucy! What's your first class?" Levy asked as she ran over to join them. She had arrived early so she was near the front of the stage.

She was still a little uncomfortable with all the familiarity, but Lucy fished around her backpack to find her crumpled up schedule. "I have a private tutoring session with Freed…" She paled. Already?!

"You have a private session with Freed?!" Natsu complained. "Damn...He's always such a stickler for the rules."

"Good luck, Lucy," Gray laughed.

"Oh…don't listen to them!" Levy encouraged. "You'll be fine. I'm actually headed in that direction. I can walk you there!"

Lucy turned around slightly panicked, but Natsu gave her an encouraging smile. Nervous, she nodded and followed Levy after they exchanged goodbyes with the others.

What was wrong with her? She had never been this nervous before and just until a couple days ago she had been hanging around with demons. What was it about these people that had her so thrown off guard?

Levy noticed the heavy silence as they walked and tried to find something to say. "So what do you like to do in your spare time?"

Spare time…after she started taking on missions Lucy didn't have much spare time left. "I guess I like to read."

"Really?" Levy's eyes lit up. "Me too! We should compare the books we've read one day!"

"A-Ah." Lucy nodded. Though she didn't think this innocent looking girl would want to compare demonology chronicles or the 'Art of Stealth Assassinations' with her.

Lucy looked around as they walked into one of the buildings on the campus grounds. Inside, the walls mirrored the same timely brick walls as the outside, with tall ceilings, accentuating how large the building was. They passed by many different rooms, each of which looked slightly different on the inside, as if they were made for specific purposes.

"Ah! Here we go!" Levy smiled. "Multipurpose Magic Lab 105. This is your stop."

"Thanks..." Lucy said as she stood in front of the door.

"Oh! Before I forget, come meet us in the cafeteria for lunch afterwards!"

Lucy agreed before Levy ran off to find her own lecture hall. Lucy turned to face the door. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't nervous. It was easier to put on a different face for the others when they didn't know where you came from. But this Freed. He knew all about her. Putting her guard back up, she turned the knob and entered.

"Ah Lucy," Freed said with a gentle smile. "Please come sit."

Lucy nodded, and stepped into the room. Looking around she noticed that the room was pretty empty aside from a table on one end of the room and chairs along another end. There wide space in the middle as if it was meant for something…

Also, speaking of other things in the room...

"You," Lucy hissed, after noticing an unexpected person in the room. "What are you doing here?"

Laxus scoffed. "Gramps wanted me to make sure you settled in alright." He was lounging against one of the chairs on the side of the room. The way he sat with his arms over the back of the chair and legs apart highlighted his arrogance.

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "More like you're here to keep an eye on me."

Laxus glared back, slightly surprised that the girl would figure things out so fast.

"I hit the nail on the head, didn't I?" Lucy guessed. "I'm not surprised. You are right not to trust me."

"Oh so the blonde girl is smart after all," Laxus raised his brow, studying the blonde. Her body posture was different from when he had been watching her from through the window in the door earlier. Earlier, her body was hunched as if she was nervous. Now, she stood tall with her chin held high as she regarded him. She radiated confidence…and mistrust.

Now which one is the real Lucy?

Freed sighed. "Let's play nice shall we. Also, Laxus please button up your shirt. And what happened to your tie?"

"Tch. I lost it. These uniforms are so stuffy anyways, I don't need it." Laxus grunted, unmoving.

Freed shook his head, but let things go.

Lucy stood quietly as she studied the two. It was interesting. Despite the green haired one technically being the student council president, he seemed to answer to the annoying blond one who won't keep his nose in his own business.

"Now Lucy. As you know, I'll be your private tutor for a little while just until you get a good grasp of your magic. I understand that you lack experience am I right?"

Before Lucy could respond, Laxus butted in. "Heh. She doesn't even believe that magic exists, so what do you think?"

Lucy snarled at the blonde haired man in return.

For once, Freed wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose as he watched the two. Laxus wasn't usually this irritable around people. Is it because of this girl? What sort of history did they have?

"Alright we'll start from the beginning then." Freed said, trying to dismiss the tense atmosphere. "It is important to understand that to mages; magic power is the equivalent of life force. A mage's magic power originates from a particle which comes from the atmosphere around us. Inside you is a container of sorts that can be filled with these magic particles otherwise known as Ethernano."

"You're kidding me right?" Lucy asked, unbelieving.

Freed shook his head. "I do not kid." It felt odd trying to find a way to teach magic to someone who's never known about it before. For them, they had grown up surrounded by magic, having accepted its existence at a very young age. From what he learned from the Master before this assignment, this girl before him knew very little about magic. Instead she only saw it as a curse. It saddened him that someone with the gift of magic could ever feel that way about themselves.

"Okay, so let's say I believe you," Lucy said sarcastically. "How do I fill this magical container with these magical particles?"

"Through meditation," Freed answered simply, gesturing towards the empty space on the ground.

Lucy really wanted to ask if the man was serious, but judging by the look on his face, he was. Sighing, she took a seat on the ground cross legged.

"Once you can sense and feel the Ethernano around you, you can absorb it into your body. Ethernano inside your body then becomes your magic power." Freed lectured as he walked around her. "Meditation is the most effective means of magic absorption."

Lucy nodded, slightly understanding. But she still didn't see how this was going to work with her simply sitting on the ground.

"Close your eyes, Princess." Laxus cut in. "You ain't going to absorb anything if your eyes are darting around."

"What did you call me?" Lucy hissed. Princess?! That was the LAST thing she ever was.

"Did your fall from the tower injure your hearing?"

Lucy snarled at the man and was so close to jumping up and strangle him. Or maybe she should have Cerberus have another round with him.

"Laxus please." Freed said, exasperated.

"Tch. Then, hurry it up Freed. I don't have time for this." Laxus grumbled. In all honesty, he was quite curious to see what this feisty blonde was capable of. Riling her up was just side entertainment.

"Alright, Lucy, let's try again," Freed said calmly. "But please do close your eyes."

Lucy sent one last glare at the annoying man before obeying the nice one. She closed her eyes and concentrated on feeling for whatever Freed was telling her to feel for. This was absurd. She couldn't feel-

Her attention perked when she felt something tingling, brushing against her skin, as if asking her to let them in. She obliged. These tiny particles…of magic…started to absorb into her, giving her this feeling of warmth that she has felt before. Perhaps it was always with her and she never knew, but now this warmth grew stronger, bolder, giving her strength similar to that that the blood lacrima had given her and yet so different at the same time. It was hard to describe. She continued to welcome those particles in and when it filled her, only then did she open her eyes.

Laxus was a little jolted by the sparkle in the new girl's eyes when she opened them. She didn't smile, he didn't think she was capable of smiling, since she only ever snarled and glared at him, but her eyes did. He felt around for her magic power. Still weak for his tastes, but she had potential. A lot of it.

But Freed did smile. "You did really well for your first time. How do you feel?"

"Different," Lucy said. She didn't know how to describe it.

"Would you care to summon one of your demons?" Freed mentioned, treading carefully. He was intrigued by this girl and really wanted to see what she was capable of. To see what other wonders she could conjure out of thin air.

Lucy glanced up at him, slightly panicked.

"You don't have to worry; this room is meant for magic practice."

Lucy took a deep breath in before letting it go. "Okay. But don't blame me if things get out of hand." She planned to summon Cerberus, but she didn't know how he would react to them. Especially with annoying jerk over there.

Said annoying jerk snorted. "Don't worry Princess, we can handle whatever you got. And then some."

She didn't even try to hide the glare this time around. But she calmed down and envisioned Cerberus gate, ready to call him forth-

 _Hmph. That human is too arrogant for his own worth. It's time to bring him down a notch._

Lucy's eyebrows scrunched. It was the same voice…from her dream that night. She attempted to call Cerberus forth again but-

 _Brat! Didn't I already tell you? I'm getting summoned next!_

But!

 _Tch. Why are you so annoying? Just hurry up and do it._

Her brain started to pound and she immediately brought her hands to her head.

Freed furrowed his brow in concern. "Are you alright Lucy?" She looked like she was in pain. Did he ask for too much? He quickly moved towards her-

"Wait!" Lucy choked out. "Don't come any closer. I'm fine."

She moved her hands from her head and towards the cuffs on her wrists. She pressed down hard, wincing slightly as more blood was drawn.

Laxus' nose twitched as he scented her blood in the air. He raised his brow. Judging from the couple of times he had seen her summon, she didn't need this much blood if she were to summon something like her raven. Unless…is she summoning that fire freak again?

Slowly, Lucy held her hands crossed straight in front of her. Freed froze as he watched her eyes glaze over and turn a deep onyx black.

In front of her, Lucy could only see another towering gate. This time its bars seemed to be made of coral and embellished with seaweed. A whirlpool of water swirled around it, beckoning her forward. She felt her blood draining towards her palms as she pushed. Her teeth clenched, but for some reason, this time it was easier to open.

She cried out, the words automatically spilling out in her voice.

"Open! The Second Demon Gate of the Serpent! Leviathan!"

Suddenly inky black-blue water burst into the room out of nowhere, flooding the entire floor of the magic lab and gathering in a large whirlpool right in front of her. It took all her might to keep herself anchored, lest she get sucked in. Then suddenly out of the whirlpool, an enormous sea serpent arose, spiraling upwards until it ran out of room and burst through the ceiling.

Lucy gasped as she took in the sight of her new demon. Just its head alone was multiple times the size of her own body. It was similar to a serpent's, but slightly more tapered, with two sharp scaled horns jutting straight out behind it. Dark, rough, cobalt blue scales lined its entire body which still hasn't finished emerging from the whirlpool in front of her. Large, shark-like teeth lined its jaws as it roared. Though to her it sounded more like a laugh.

"Not too bad brat. Didn't think you could actually do it."

Laxus' eyes widened in complete shock. What in names is this thing?

"Now where is that arrogant little human…" Lucy noted that Leviathan's voice was deeper in tone, but sounded…feminine.

Laxus growled. As if he'd let some demon call him an 'arrogant little human'. He jumped out of the destroyed lab and lightning teleported towards the roof, where the demon's head now reached.

"Oh there you are," Leviathan smirked. "Humans are so easily provoked. It's entertaining."

Laxus scoffed, arrogantly. "I'm just here to put down a demon that went out of line."

Leviathan laughed. "As if a mere dragon slayer can take me down."

* * *

With one word to describe it, Freed was amazed. Slightly horrified, but amazed. He had read multiple volumes on demon lore and the like while he pursued his many studies, but this was more than what the books have described. Much more.

Now if only the poor thing hadn't broken through the roof. Master was going to have a field day about this.

Freed, having took refuge above the waters after writing himself a pair of rune wings, took a quick glance at Lucy, who was still stunned, sitting by the massive whirlpool of water. He flew back down, and attempted to take her up to safety, but a wall of water swirled around her, as if protecting her from him.

Lucy looked down at her own two hands as she sat inside the whirling pool of water. She felt…strong. And if she got stronger, then maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to free herself.

She wasn't delusional. She knew that even though she had run away from Tartaros, she was not free. Right now, she had been merely given longer chains. But, if she built upon this power and got stronger...

She'd be able to cut herself free from those chains once and for all.

"Lucy, can you recall it?" Freed asked, trying to shout over the crashing sounds of the water. He was slightly worried. The sea monster was beginning to start quite an uproar outside. Though to be honest, it wasn't as if something like this hadn't happened before.

Lucy tried, but Leviathan seemed to be fighting her. It really wanted to stay out. She shook her head at Freed. Then she heard their screams. The students outside definitely wouldn't have missed the enormous sea monster that just burst out of one of their campus buildings. They were scared.

Lucy closed her eyes. After being thrown into unfamiliarity for the past couple of days, finally there was something that was familiar to her. It was ironic that it had to be the terrified screams of humans. Ironic, but not surprising.

But what she didn't understand was why she was shaking from head to toe.

She was afraid.

But why?

Was she afraid…of herself?

Freed remained hovering near Lucy, noticing her shivers. This wasn't good. She shouldn't be fearing her own magic. She should be embracing it. He tried to offer her a little reassurance. "Don't worry. Laxus will take care of it."

Lucy didn't think he'd need to for long, for soon she felt the familiar dizziness she had when she summoned one of the Nine.

* * *

Lightning sparked around Laxus' fist as he pulled back for another swing.

"Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!"

The punch would have struck were it not for a water geyser that shot through the roof in the last minute, serving as shield for the gigantic sea serpent.

Leviathan laughed. "Is that all you got? You were quite sure of yourself before."

Laxus growled. He couldn't get anywhere near the monstrous sea snake with all that water in the way. He opted to dart around, lightning surrounding his body until the water couldn't keep up. Taking the chance, he went for another blow.

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"

Leviathan roared, the electricity coursing throughout her body, and immediately twisted around in an attempt to trap the dragon slayer within its grasp. Dark inky waters filled its jaws before it sent a roar of water on its own. Laxus grunted as he braced though the column of water painfully blasting his body.

"You're annoying, human," Leviathan snarled. "And if I had my way, you would have died from that. But it seems the brat doesn't want anyone killed today. A pity that she has gone soft."

"How could you even know," Laxus breathed as he spat out some water. Damn this one was worse than the first one. Was it because the new girl finally connected with her magic power?

"It's all in the blood," Leviathan smirked, sharp fangs gleaming in the sunlight. "She can't hide how she feels from us; we can taste it in her blood. So I can safely say that she finds you absolutely unbearable."

"I didn't need a sea snake to tell me that," Laxus smirked, getting back up to his feet.

But Leviathan didn't retaliate.

"We're at a standstill today, human, but next time I won't be as lenient," Leviathan said, slightly peeved. "I've run out of time. Though I must admit, I've been out longer than Ifrit has. At least I'll have something to brag about."

Laxus scoffed as the demon disappeared in puff of black smoke, the dark waters disappearing as well. He walked up to the enormous hole in the building and peered down, staring at the blonde who was sitting there, having exhausted her magic capacity.

He leapt back down, surprised to see that only traces of water remained in the now destroyed lab.

The girl looked up at him with unreadable eyes, before she whispered. "And that is why I call it a curse…"

Before he could respond, and despite Freed's protests, the girl scrambled to her feet and bolted straight out of the room. It was faint, but he caught the light scent of tears.

Laxus looked at the damage around him and smirked inwardly. This Princess was interesting after all.

* * *

 ** _A/N: This chapter was quite a bit longer than what I was hoping for, but oh well. Tried to go for just a slight Hogwarts vibe here. Also, for those who asked about shipping, I'm still undecided so they'll be hints of both NaLu and LaLu until I do (hopefully I wouldn't have dug myself too big of a hole to get out of by then). Or maybe I'll put in a nice love triangle. Always a fan of those :D_**

 ** _Until next chapter!_**


	8. Don't Quite Belong Here

**Chapter 8**

Lucy ran out of the campus building, breathing heavily. Slamming open the door when she reached outside, she lifted a sleeve to block the heavy sunlight that momentarily blinded her. Choosing a random direction, she ran away from the leftover chaos that was her demon summoning. Reaching a small hill, she finally let herself have a break. She sat down on the grass with her knees pulled to her chest.

Her vision was blurry. She rubbed a hand over her eyes.

Where those…tears?

As if she were horrified to see them, Lucy quickly rubbed her eyes again, intent on removing any trace of human emotion from her person. Tears were for the weak. She had learned that the hard way during her first six months at Tartaros many years ago. Turns out, demons hated tears. After those first six months, she never shed tears again.

And she wasn't about to start now.

Annoyed with how suffocating her uniform was, Lucy quickly loosened up her tie and unbuttoned a couple of the buttons in her dress shirt so her chest could finally breathe. Letting out a sigh, Lucy sat there on the grass hill, breathing in the gentle scent of the flowers. She was finally about to relax, when a deep voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Doesn't seem like you to get depressed over something like that."

Lucy stiffened before she turned around, her tone sharp. "And what exactly do you know about me?"

"I know enough to not trust you," Laxus said simply. He stood a couple of feet away from her with his arms crossed over his chest.

Lucy let out a dry laugh. "You shouldn't. You know what I'm capable of."

Laxus didn't need a reminder. Right now, she still held the same look in her eyes that she had when she fought against him on the rooftops of the city center. Cold and calculating.

"In fact, the only person you should trust is yourself."

"Sounds pretty goddamn lonely if you ask me," Laxus scoffed.

"But I'm not asking you," Lucy snapped. "Trusting someone will only get you killed out there."

As he stood there, Laxus took his time to study the blonde. This girl. She has so many layers piled up upon herself, he doesn't even know what's real or not.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked, staring up suspiciously at the annoying blonde after his silence. "I'm not going to go rampant if that's why you're here."

Laxus chuckled. This girl was messed up in too many ways to count. "Look."

Before Lucy could even fully turn to face the direction Laxus was pointing towards, the tree only a couple of feet away from her was split in two by a crack of lightning. The two sides fell to the ground with a loud thump.

Lucy immediately jumped up and away in shock. "What the hell was that for?!"

"My magic, Princess," Laxus said, serious. He took a step closer to her. Lucy, unwilling to back off, remained firm. Though given the fact that she was a head shorter than the man, she didn't look quite intimidating. "My lightning is capable of killing you in mere moments, faster than it would take for you to open your mouth to summon one of your demons."

"S-So?"

"But I choose not to," Laxus remarked. "Call it whatever you want Princess, but magic is magic. It's up to you to choose what you do with it."

Lucy stood there, stunned.

It was up to her to choose what to do with her magic…

Even though his lightning was deadly, he chose not to kill anyone with it. Not to kill her with it. That meant…whether she chose to kill someone or not with her demons was now her choice…it doesn't matter that she could summon them, she could choose what to do with them.

She had never been given that choice before…

It was relieving.

Lucy looked up at Laxus in confusion. Did he just try to comfort her?

Though upon realizing where his eyes were currently fixated upon, her confused expression immediately morphed into annoyance. Was he staring down her shirt?!

Laxus let the blonde steep in what he told her. She wasn't the first mage he's met that was afraid of their own powers. In the meantime, he just happened to notice the new change to her state of dress. Seeing her blazer open, shirt slightly unbuttoned and her tie loose like that was…quite enticing. Taking a quick glance at her entire person, he concluded that this look suited her much more than the put together ensemble she had before. Not to mention the fact that he could see perfectly down her shirt…

Black lace…classy.

He also happened to note the black Fairy Tail mark on the top of her right breast. In the same spot only days before, a different mark was there. The mark of Tartaros. He wasn't going to forget that tiny detail anytime soon. On the other side, he also noticed a crimson scar in the shape of intertwined vines. He also remembered this one. Mostly since it was obtained in a similar fashion to the scar he had over his right eye. From a lacrima…

At the clearing of her throat, Laxus finally looked back up at the girl's chocolate brown eyes. Judging by the narrowed, dark expression on her face it would seem as if he was caught.

Lucy was about to give the now annoying pervert a piece of her mind when suddenly another voice interrupted her.

"Lucy!"

Lucy turned around just to see a mess of pink running up the hill, followed by a familiar flash of blue. "Natsu? Happy?"

Laxus raised his brow when he watched the blonde fix up her uniform in recordbreaking time. So she didn't mind being unhinged around him, but as soon as someone else comes, the façade comes back on…

Interesting.

The fire dragon slayer was running up the hill so fast that he almost barrelled into blonde. Out of breath and uniform out of place, Natsu spoke at insane speeds as he addressed the girl. "Lucy! Was that you just now?"

Lucy didn't need to ask for clarification to know what he was asking about. Immediately her mood shifted. "Ya…" Her lips were downturned.

But Natsu didn't seem to notice. "THAT WAS SO COOL!"

"Aye!" Happy added in with a smile.

Lucy was taken aback.

"Cool?..." Lucy repeated. How did any of that qualify as cool…

"Ya! It was awesome! Though I do like your fire one better. That one is the coolest!" Natsu rambled on with a grin. "He tastes amazing by the way. Like a spicy fire burrito. But extra supreme spicy…"

Lucy still didn't understand. "I destroyed the entire roof Natsu…"

"So?" Natsu said, his head tilted slightly. "I used to do that once a week. Don't worry about getting in trouble, Gramps just kinda get's used to it by now."

"Aye! Natsu even burned down an entire building once! That's why they have a fire proof magic lab just for him!" Happy explained.

Laxus rolled his eyes at the dragon slayer, though in all honesty it was true. Destroyed property seemed to be a trademark of Fairy Tail.

Seeing Lucy's conflicted emotions, Natsu continued. "Anyways Lucy, your magic is awesome!"

Lucy's eyes widened and she remained speechless. Awesome? Her magic was awesome? Never in a million years would she describe what she was able to do as…awesome. What is with him? Is he alright?

Natsu seemed to finally notice Laxus' presence. "What are you doing here?"

"How is that any of your business Natsu?" Laxus replied with a drone.

Natsu narrowed his eyes at the lightning dragon slayer in suspicion. He turned back to Lucy. "Hey Lucy, is Laxus bothering you? Don't worry about him. He's just always grumpy."

The combination of his innocent comments about her magic and his comments about the annoying pervert next to her finally had Lucy laughing.

Natsu smiled, having finally gotten Lucy out of whatever slump he had seen her in before he had climbed up the hill. He absentmindedly noted that Lucy had a nice laugh. "Anyways Lucy, it's time for lunch, let's go!" He grabbed her hand and proceeded to drag her down the hill.

"O-Okay," Lucy said. As she was heading down the hill, Lucy turned back around to shoot the lightning mage a glare, translating to 'we're not done here'.

Laxus laughed. "No we're not Princess." This girl was getting more interesting by the minute. One moment she's guarded, treating him like an enemy, but as soon as Natsu came by, she relaxed and her entire personality changed.

Again. Which one is the real Lucy?

Guess he'll just have to find out.

"Laxus!"

Laxus turned towards the voice to see Freed running up the hill.

"Laxus! Did you find Lucy?" Somehow despite all the running, Freed still looked completely put together, with not a single article of clothing out of place.

"Ya." Laxus grunted.

"Is she alright?" Freed asked.

Laxus scoffed, hands back in his pants pockets. "I'm sure the Princess will be fine."

Freed furrowed his brows. "You should be nicer to the poor girl." He had a feeling that the girl had been through way too much for her age.

"You haven't seen what I have seen Freed." Laxus' voice roughened. The image of the little girl drenched in blood once again resurfaced into his mind.

Freed sighed, but did not push further. "Noon is approaching. Shall we head to the Great Hall? Bickslow and Ever should be there soon."

Laxus only responded with a nod before they headed out.

"Shall I carry your bag, Laxus?" Freed asked with sparkles behind his eyes.

Another nod.

More sparkles followed by a bright smile.

"I brought you another tie. Shall I-"

"No."

* * *

Lucy stopped as they were walking along the cobblestone pathway, causing Natsu to pause as well, turning around with a confused look on his face.

She asked him the question that had been lingering in the back of my mind. "You're not afraid of me?"

"What are you talking about Lucy?" Natsu asked.

"Ya, why would we be afraid of you?" Happy added as he perched himself on the top of Natsu's head.

"I tried to kill you when we first met, if you haven't forgot," Lucy reminded him. "And just now, the demon I summoned could have easily killed someone else. Why aren't you afraid?"

"Because I trust you," Natsu replied honestly.

"How could you trust me so easily?!" Lucy shouted in frustration. What is wrong with him? How the hell could he just say that like it was nothing?

Natsu sighed. "Lucy I thought we've been through this already…we're friends remember?" He moved to place his hands on her shoulders, causing her to look into his eyes in surprise. "Your magic is your magic Lucy. No matter what you say, I think it's beautiful. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise." He let go of her shoulders and grabbed Lucy's hand, once again dragging the blonde down the path.

Lucy simply blinked for a couple of seconds, before letting out a pained laugh. "I don't get you Natsu."

Natsu turned his head back around with a wide smile. "What's there not to get?"

Lucy could only shake her head, before allowing Natsu to lead her again. As they walked, Lucy couldn't help the small smile that sneaked onto her face.

Her magic was beautiful.

* * *

A mixture of tall brick or stone buildings passed them by before Lucy started to get curious. She remembered running past all of these this morning, but now they were heading in the opposite direction, back towards the entrance.

"Natsu…where are we going?" Lucy asked as she continued to allow herself to be dragged along.

"The Great Hall! That's were everyone gathers for lunch." Natsu explained, drool practically dribbling down his chin at the thought of food…

"Aye! The food there is amazing!" Happy grinned. "Especially the grilled fish..."

"Mm!" Natsu agreed. "And the fire floats!"

The pair made their way out of the university campus and along the cobblestone steps until they reached the enormous castle-like building in the middle of the Academy island. In the center of the courtyard stood the large clock tower, signalling the coming of noon.

On the inside, the Great Hall looked like a castle ballroom. In fact, Lucy wouldn't be surprised if it used to be one. Odd looking chandeliers lined the ceilings and glass windows covered the outer walls from ceiling to floor. It was large enough to hold hundreds of tables scattered all along the hall. At one end there was an opening in the wall where the kitchen was. Hundreds of children of various ages were already crowding the kitchens, waiting for food.

Lucy's eyes widened at the number of people gathered in the hall with friendly, laughing smiles. She had to re-evaluate a previous thought she had. She had thought she was nervous around people in general, but that was wrong. She wasn't nervous around normal people. Normal people that had hidden agendas and while on the surface seemed to be your ally, but wouldn't hesitate to kill you once you turned your back around for even a millisecond. Those people she was comfortable around. Those people she understood.

It was friendly, happy people that she was nervous around. These people she couldn't figure out. Couldn't identify what their hidden agenda was. And even more terrifying was the fact that they probably didn't even have a hidden agenda. But despite that realization, her mind would continue to struggle to look for one beneath their wide grins and cheerful laughter.

It was creepy. No one should be that happy. It left her unsettled.

And the epitome of that definition was currently dragging her towards the serving counter.

"What do you want Lucy?" Natsu asked as soon as they got there. Almost immediately Lucy was bombarded by a plethora of scents coming from the kitchens, leaving her mouth to water as well.

"Huh?" She asked, being thrown out of her daze.

"From the menu!" Natsu pointed up towards the chalkboard menu which was filled with the oddest items. It ranged from something as simple as shaved ice to something as odd as fire chicken…what the hell is fire chicken?!

She didn't need to think too long on that item as Natsu immediately ordered it minutes later, along with twenty other things.

"How much is everything?" Lucy asked casually.

"Oh it's free."

Lucy's voice flattened. "Don't lie to me Natsu." Free. There was nothing in life that was free. She learned that the hard way when Tartaros realized that it was too much work to keep her fed and she was forced to fend for herself. Let's just say people in her area were not too friendly with beggars. Even if they were just kids. "What's the catch?"

"Lucy…I'm not lying," Natsu said, slightly dejected. "And there's no catch. It really is free. The Academy provides lunch for us all the time. It's the same for the other food places on campus too, though people mostly just eat here."

"That's cause everyone is allowed in the Great Hall," Happy explained. "So Lucy…what are you getting?"

Lucy still couldn't believe that food here was free. But she figured she'll at least just order something and face the consequences later. "Umm. I'll get the chicken panini, a burger and a strawberry milkshake."

The friendly lady behind the counter nodded and recorded her order before giving her a number. "Have a nice day!"

Have a nice day. Who actually says that?

Lucy followed Natsu towards the middle of the hall and she noticed that they were heading towards a table full of more creepy, friendly people. Great.

Natsu seemed to notice her dragging feet. "Don't worry Lucy! There all really nice! You've met half of them just a couple of days ago!"

That's what she was afraid of. They were…too nice. After what seemed like forever, but still couldn't be long enough, Lucy and Natsu reached the table.

"Oi flame brain, where were you?" Gray asked as he turned towards them with a popsicle in hand.

"Getting Lucy, your icicle freak," Natsu retorted.

The pair seemed to forget that Erza was at the table as well. "Natsu. Gray. Are you two fighting?"

"No Sir!" They both chimed together.

A male voice suddenly joined in. "Now, now Erza. I'm sure they were just having fun."

Erza turned around with a bright blush on her face. "J-Jellal!"

Lucy turned to see that another newcomer had arrived at their table. He had blue hair and a very prominent crimson tattoo over his right eye. He too had a uniform that was pristine.

"Erza, who is our new friend?" Jellal asked with a smile.

"A-Ah right!" Erza stumbled to get up from the table.

Lucy was stunned. Who was this blushing redhead before her, when just moments before she looked as if she was ready to take on an entire army?

"Lucy. This is Jellal," Erza introduced, finally finding her composure. "He is the second year representative on the student council."

Lucy nodded, unsure of how she should be acting.

Jellal only smiled. "Don't worry. No need to be so formal. Erza, you've got to relax sometimes."

"H-Hai!" Erza stammered, her face remaining the shade of a bright tomato.

Jellal turned to address Lucy again. "Now, Lucy I've heard that you had some troubles during your tutoring session with Freed this morning."

Lucy paused, waiting for some sort of reprimand, but Gray suddenly butted in. "Ya Lucy! I heard you destroyed the roof today in the magic labs!" He walked over to Lucy and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, seemingly in a gesture of pride. Lucy flinched slightly, but it didn't seem as if he noticed. "Welcome to Team Destruction!"

"…What?"

Gray let out a soft laugh. "Ya…the older mages coined the term after we kept on destroying things on our missions…Even Erza, so she can't even be mad."

Lucy raised a brow. "Missions?"

Gray was about to answer that, but Levy, who was sitting right next to him, just so happened to pipe in at the same time with great enthusiasm. "I heard it was a giant sea serpent! What was it?"

Lucy paused for a moment before answering quite hesitantly. "A demon…" Their wary, slightly frightened faces were finally something she was familiar with. To be honest, what did she expect? For them to openly accept a stranger who could summon monsters from hell?

Natsu seemed to notice the rising tension at their table. "Lucy, how about you show them one?"

Lucy's eyes widened and she threw him a look that tried to say 'Are you insane?', but Natsu only nodded in her direction and continued to coax her into summoning one.

Just one.

She didn't even know if she had enough of this magic power left within her. She figured the best she could do was-

"Open. Demon Gate of the Hell Hound. Cerberus."

The miniature version of her lethal hell hound appeared within her arms in a wisp of smoke. Even in this form, at the size of a small puppy, it's three heads were prominent. She watched as the others backed up slightly before she heard someone squeal.

"It's so cute!" Levy exclaimed, placing her palms to her cheeks. She immediately reached forward and attempted to pet the tiny hound, but Cerberus started to growl. Though at that size it wasn't very intimidating. Even with that, Levy wasn't deterred.

Lucy cut in. "Be careful. Cerberus doesn't take well to humans." Mostly since his main goal was usually to kill them…

"Cerberus? Like the gate keeper?" Levy turned to her with curiosity in her eyes.

Lucy was genuinely surprised. "You know of him?"

"I'm a huge fan of reading remember?" Levy said with a bright smile. "I had a small obsession over demonology a couple years back. Spent quite a lot of time researching it."

Lucy's eyes widened slightly. Perhaps they _could_ talk demonology together. Though 'The Art of Stealth Assassinations' was probably still out of the question.

Levy turned back to study her three-headed companion. "Though I didn't expect him to be so…tiny."

"This is just his smaller form. It takes less…magic power to summon him this way," Lucy said, rolling the words 'magic power' over her tongue slowly. It still seemed so childish to say something like that.

The others finally relaxed after seeing the harmless version of Cerberus. All except Gray. He remained tense, though he tried not to show it. Demons…

He hated demons.

Having learned to be aware of her surroundings from a very young age, Lucy caught the complicated stare directed at her from Gray. She turned back to face him, and for a moment their eyes connected, but an instant later he turned away.

She knew he tried to hide it, but his expression housed a plethora of emotions, including one she was most familiar with...

Hatred.

Lucy smiled to herself as her brow raised. Maybe there would a person that she could be comfortable around here. A _normal_ person.

Lucy and Natsu's orders came soon afterwards and Lucy finally figured out that fire chicken literally meant a chicken on fire. When she asked Natsu how the hell he could eat something like that, he merely responded with 'why not?'. Rolling her eyes, Lucy decided that it would be best if she didn't try to understand everything at once.

Soon after, another face joined the table. She remembered this one as...Wendy. She was the one who healed her on the first day. The girl was wearing the high school blue and white sailor uniform. Trailing behind her was her cat, Charle, from what she remembered.

"Natsu-san!" Wendy shouted as she waved and ran towards them.

"You remember Wendy right Lucy!" Natsu grinned when Wendy reached their table. "She just entered into her first year in Fairy High!"

When Wendy saw Lucy, she gave her a slight bow. "Nice to meet you again, Lucy-san."

Lucy was a little thrown off by how formal the little girl was but she gave her a slight smile.

"Wendy is similar to Natsu," Erza explained, even though Lucy recalled a similar explanation from the girl herself. "She's a sky dragon slayer." Though she was curious about one thing.

"So if Natsu-" She turned towards the pink-haired boy who was currently scarfing down two flaming chicken legs. "-eats fire. Than do you eat…air?"

Wendy giggled. "Something like that."

"Charle!" Happy suddenly flew towards the white cat with a grilled fish in his hand. "I got you a fish! Do you want it?"

The white cat only flipped her nose up at the blue cat pretentiously, ignoring his offering. Though, Happy didn't seem to be too dejected.

Lucy couldn't help but smile at the tiny cat. The way her fur bristled as she brushed Happy off reminded her of a certain furry demon that she hadn't yet forgotten.

The rest of the hour was spent chatting about the summer break and other mundane things. Lucy sat quietly throughout most of the conversation, still bothered by how friendly these people were.

"So Lucy-san, what's your next class?" Wendy asked curiously.

Lucy once again took out her crumpled schedule to check. "…Mundane studies."

"Oh! I have that too!" Natsu exclaimed. "We have class together Lucy!"

"We all do fire breath," Gray said, his eyes rolling. "Don't you remember we checked this morning?"

"Shut up Gray, I'm just making sure." Natsu turned towards Lucy with a smile. "Let's go!"

* * *

"Welcome class to Mundane Studies."

The Mundane Studies professor was quite a short old little lady. She wore a puffy dark green dress with a matching wide brimmed hat. Her voice drawled as she spoke, which made everything she said seem much more boring than it already was.

"My name is Professor Pepper. Today will be an overview of the other mundane courses you would have taken at Fairy High before this. Please pay attention and make note of the items that you have forgotten."

Lucy let out a small yawn as she stared forward at professor. The lecture hall she was currently in fit around a hundred people. The long desks were made of a light oak wood and curved around the hall so that the students would be forced to face the professor down at the podium below.

To her left sat an equally bored Natsu, on the verge of sleep, while to her right, Levy had chosen to sit next to her. Unlike Natsu, she was at full attention.

"Now as you should already know, mundanes are humans that were not gifted with the ability to use magic."

Lucy perked up, though she had subconsciously figured this out a couple of years ago. She had realized that every one else out there was not like her. That they didn't have the abilities that she had. Or the curse that she thought she had.

"And thus, mundanes do not have the Sight. They do not understand magic and therefore they cannot perceive magic."

This Lucy also sort of figured out on her own. She had learned very early that the people unlike her would not see her demons the way she would. Often they would simply view them with some sort of distortion. For Naberius, they didn't see her with her third eye. For Cerberus, they would only see a vicious hound with only one head.

Now that she thought about it, a lot of Jackal's temper tantrums were often cited as terrorist bombings in the news as well…

"Thus, our number one rule as mages is to avoid using our magic in front of mundanes."

Well. She had already broken that rule. Multiple times. Though to her defense, many of those times those people didn't exactly live to tell the tale afterwards. So, no harm done right?

The rest of the lecture seemed so common sense to Lucy that she didn't quite understand why these people needed a class for this.

She understood the gist of the lecture. Mundanes are born and raised by their parents. They go to school just like mages do, though they don't learn magic. Instead they learn about science, which was their best explanation for magic. They grow up and get jobs to contribute to society. In replace of magic, mundanes have created their own technology to aid in their daily lives.

In short, it was everything Lucy had wanted from her life before everything had happened. Before she had been sold off to Tartaros. Before she had learned how to summon demons. Before she had been placed out on debt collection missions.

But that had all changed the moment her father had deemed her an appropriate bargain for debt repayment.

To be honest, Lucy didn't know why learning all this was all necessary. Even someone like her, who had limited knowledge about the outside world knew all about this. Seilah had always said to know thy enemy.

By the end of the lecture, Lucy was starting to fall asleep.

"All right class. Make sure you complete the readings for next week."

The class started packing up and Natsu finally woke up with a loud yawn. "Ugh are we done yet?"

"Class ended five minutes ago Natsu…" Levy commented, unimpressed.

"Yosh! That means we're done for the day!" Natsu said with a grin. "Let's go hang out at the guild!"

* * *

Lucy declined Natsu's invitation to hang out at the guild that night, telling him that she was too tired and wanted to go home. Which was true. As she walked slowly back to her apartment, Lucy reflected on the day's events. It was so much for her to process that she didn't even know where to start. Everything was so new to her. The academy, the campus, the magic, _her_ magic. It was both terrifying and exciting at the same time. The people especially confused her. She had never seen so many friendly people before. In fact, it had her even more on edge then before.

When she reached her apartment, Lucy threw her keys into a tiny bowl by the front of her suite and took a quick look around. It was dark and empty. She sighed. Stripping herself of her clothes she headed into the bathroom for a bath. As she sat there in the lukewarm water, with her knees to her chest, thinking about those friendly faces and those trusting smiles, Lucy couldn't help but think…

 _I don't quite belong here._

After having sat in the bath long enough for her skin to prune, Lucy walked out to her room wrapped in a towel. Quickly putting on her pajamas, which was really just a plain t-shirt and a pair of old shorts, Lucy slipped into bed and attempted to fall asleep. She tossed and turned for a couple of minutes.

Something felt…off.

Sitting straight up on her bed as she realized what was wrong, Lucy felt around on her bedside table in the darkness, stopping when she found what she was looking for.

Slipping the knife back underneath her pillow, Lucy finally fell asleep with a peaceful sigh.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Mundane studies lol. I had to stretch out on a limb to figure out what people would actually learn from a class like that. Slowly starting to add in the FT family here, though its actually more work than I thought without making seem unnatural. There are still a couple missing...hmm...I wonder where they are?**_

 _ **Thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows so far! Quite surprised to see the interest in my little AU story. I'm still laying the groundwork at the moment, but I promise it'll get more interest soon!**_

 _ **Edit: Thanks to Lizz Cold 790 for pointing out to me that I introduced Wendy twice (this has now been changed). That was definitely my mistake. Thanks for the catch! Was introducing too many people to Lucy that I had lost track lol.**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	9. Demonology

**Chapter 9**

Lucy glanced at the number on the door before staring back down at her schedule. She repeated the gesture just to make sure she had everything right.

RACE 403: Demonology, Room: 1450, Professor: Black

From what she had gathered, this should have been a fourth year course, which is odd since she was technically only in first year.

"Something must be wrong…" Lucy mumbled to herself as she hugged Cerberus closer to herself, the three headed demon snuggling into her arms. Freed had suggested she practice keeping Cerberus out for longer periods of time in order to improve her magic endurance. She figured walking around with an enormous hell-hound would cause too many questions so she opted on keeping her friend at his chibi size.

"Are you going to stand there all day, Princess? You're blocking traffic."

Lucy whirled around, causing her to immediately bump into something solid. Her eyes slowly trailed up from the sliver of flesh she saw peering out of the top of an open dress shirt all the way to the annoying pervert's scowl present on his face. She greeted Laxus with a similar expression. Cerberus started growling as soon as he recognized Laxus as well.

Laxus glared at the three headed hound. "Call off your attack dog Princess, or I'll be forced to take care of it myself."

"Go ahead," Lucy taunted. "Cerberus has been looking for a rematch."

"Laxus be nice," Freed scolded. He had been standing behind Laxus, carrying his bag.

The two blondes continued their staring contest for another two seconds, before Lucy huffed and turned away, earning her a smirk. Sending him one last glare, Lucy sighed, stared at her schedule once last time and began walking away from the classroom.

Laxus called after the girl. "Oi, where do you think you're going?"

Lucy scowled as she turned her head back. "If you're here then I'm obviously in the wrong place."

Freed interjected. "Actually, Lucy I believe you're in the right place. The Master suggested that you take this course even if you're only in first year, in order to gain a better understanding of your magic."

Demonology. Lucy figured that made sense. Though she had already spent many years reading up on the topic in Tartaros' library. Seilah had made sure to drill it into her brain how much more superior demons were compared to humans.

A flash of silver in her peripherals suddenly caught Lucy's attention. Turning to her left, Lucy caught Mira heading in their direction.

"Mira? You're in this class too?"

Oddly enough, as soon as Mira reached them, Cerberus had stopped growling. Lucy didn't know why, but instead, he turned to stare at Mira with curious looks on his faces.

Laxus scoffed. "That's not surprising."

Mira sent Laxus a small glare, before turning back to Lucy with a wide smile. It was then she noticed the little bundle of deadly cuteness resting in Lucy's arms. "Kawaii!"

Mira reached out to pet the beast. Before Lucy could tell Mira to be careful, the older mage had already rested her hand on one of Cerberus' heads. Stunned, Lucy could only watch as Mira gentle petted Cerberus, eliciting quite the non-threatening growl of pleasure from the hell-hound.

Mira flashed her a gentle smile. "How about you come sit with me?"

Still quite shocked at Cerberus reaction to the silver haired woman, Lucy nodded before following Mira inside the classroom. Taking a quick glance around, Lucy noted that this classroom was much smaller than the one she had her previous classes in. She figured that the room would fit at most forty people. Lucy and Mira ended up sitting near the middle. Sitting herself into a chair, she placed Cerberus on the top of her desk, letting him sit there while they waited for class to start.

Laxus and Freed sat behind them, near the back of the room. Upon sitting down, Laxus immediately leaned back on the legs of his chair and propped his feet up on the desk, much to Freed's dismay.

Five minutes late to the lecture, Lucy couldn't help but gawk as the Professor walked in. If she could even call that mess of man a Professor. He wore old black slacks with a stained white dress shirt and a tattered brown cloak was draped over him. Judging by the gigantic yawn he shared with the class while standing behind the podium, Lucy figured that the man really needed a coffee.

This was her demonology professor?

"Oi old man, hurry it up!" Laxus shouted from the back of the classroom.

Said old man squinted up at the seats before responding. "Shut up Laxus. I'm surprised you're even in my course to begin with."

Laxus scoffed. "Gramps orders."

Lucy scowled to herself. So he was here to watch over her again. A flash of rage went though her, one that placed Cerberus on edge. She was starting to feel a little like a watched prisoner…

"Hai Hai," the old man sighed. "So most of you will already know me, but my name is Gildarts Clive, your demonology professor. But please, just call me Gildarts. Makes me sound less old."

Lucy furrowed her brow. Wasn't the professor's last name supposed to be Black?

"Ah right, so Professor Black is off on an emergency mission, so he'll be away for the semester. Somehow, the Master figured I'd be good enough to teach so here I am." Gildarts explained, answering Lucy's unspoken question. His tone betraying how bored he was.

Lucy rested her head against one palm, while her other hand subconsciously petted Cerberus, already knowing how this class was going to go. For just a moment, the professor seemed to look her way, his eyes settling on Cerberus before looking away soon after. Before Lucy could decipher the look, he cleared his throat.

"Hmm…so where to start. Oh right," Lifting up the textbook on the table, Gildarts started to lecture. Lucy was a little surprised to see that his expression immediately turned serious.

"So why exactly are you in this class? Some of you, I'm talking to you Freed, are probably here for academic pleasure. Though I presume the rest of you are here for practical knowledge. Given you guys are all experienced mages by now, it wouldn't surprise me if you encounter a few demons on any of your future missions.

Lucy furrowed her brow. Again with the missions. She didn't know that Fairy Tail had missions too...that was interesting. Well, if they were anything like the missions she went on...

A picture of a Minotaur was projected onto the screen on the wall behind Gildarts. "Now, demons are creatures that come straight from Hell, or the Underworld, whichever you preferred."

Lucy preferred the latter. Made it seem less…evil.

"In worship to their King and Queen, demons call themselves Satan's sons or-"

"Lilith's daughters," Lucy whispered under her breath. It was quiet enough that Mira next to her did not hear, but Lucy wasn't aware of the hearing capabilities of the dragon slayer sitting just rows behind her. Said dragon slayer raised his brow upon hearing her speak.

A testament to her upbringing, Lucy had often identified as a daughter of Lilith. Must have been the strict teachings from Seilah…

"In order to keep the world balanced and to prevent…well hell on earth, most demons cannot leave the underworld. Whether they can or not will depend on their ranking in hell."

Gildarts then put up a picture of a pyramid onto the screen. "Aside from the King and the Queen, Demons are generally classed into three categories: Lesser demons, which are capable of roaming on Earthland naturally, Greater demons, and High demons, both of which require summoning rituals in order to appear here."

Another picture was shown, this time of a group of cloaked figures standing around a magic circle. "Summoning rituals are all that you would expect them to be and more. The main component of these rituals involves blood sacrifice. This will be discussed in a later class."

As if Cerberus was paying attention to the lecture as well, one of his heads chose that exact moment to nibble on Lucy's finger, drawing blood. Flinching more due to surprise than pain, Lucy sighed and let Cerberus suck on her finger.

Laxus' nose twitched and he immediately honed in on the scent of Lucy's blood. His eyes narrowed towards Lucy's seat, where he caught a glimpse of the three-headed hound. Seems like they prefer drinking straight from the source…

The pyramid zoomed in to the top bracket. "High demons at the top are the most dangerous and require a massive amount of blood sacrifice and a complicated ritual in order to bring them to Earthland."

Lucy took a quick glance at the cuffs on her wrists. Massive amount of blood sacrifice…so why is it that she alone is enough?

"These consist of the Nine, which are Hell's nine strongest demons. Not much is known about them, seeing as they are rarely summoned to Earthland and if even they have been, they were usually followed by mass destruction. A longer discussion over this will be saved for a future lecture."

Lucy felt a little disappointed that he didn't speak more on the Nine, for they were the only demons she didn't really have a good grasp on. Tartaros' libraries didn't have too much information on them. Nor did they offer up an explanation as to why she could summon them.

The screen switched to another picture filled with what looked to be black symbols. Now these, Lucy knew all about.

"This is Black speech," Gildarts introduced.

"The language of demons…" Lucy whispered. She remembered how trying it was to learn the dead language. Seilah had tried to drill it into her for years. When Seilah was finally fed up with her poor progress, the demon tossed her over to Kyoka for some 'fun time' before trying again. Needless to say, she learnt the language within a month after that…

"Not many mages know of this language, but learning it would prove useful out in the field. What better way to understand them than to understand their way of communication? You will need to learn this on your own and there will be a final assignment and presentation using this language at the end of the semester."

Groaning could be heard throughout the classroom, but Lucy smiled. She had this one in the bag. This school thing was easy.

"Stop your groaning you lazy kids. Trust me. It'll prove helpful. Moving on, each week, we will be learning about a new class of demon. I will usually pick demons that you have a chance of encountering out in the field."

"The first of which is the Succubus." A new picture turned up onto the screen. To the delight of the males in the room, the picture was of a scantily clad busty brunette who was staring at the camera with a seductive look.

"A-Ah!" Gildarts exclaimed with a semi-apologetic, but still slightly perverted smile. "Sorry about that. That's a…personal photo." The picture quickly changed, but this one also featured a beautiful woman. "This, is a succubus. A Greater demon. Can't really tell the difference can you? I can tell you I've fallen into one or two of their traps before."

"Can't say I'm surprised, old man," Laxus commented with a snort, his hands crossed over his chest. The rest of the class laughed, seeing as they knew all about Gildart's…less professional characteristics.

Gildart's cleared his throat. "A-Anyway. Succubi's main prey consist of men and they hunt by portraying themselves as beautiful woman, luring the men away before feeding off of their sexual energy. She may look innocent, but she's deadly. Succubi are known to have killed by feeding off too much of their prey's energy. To mundanes, there is practically no way for them to tell between a real woman and a succubus. But for mages, given our exposure to magic power, we have an innate defense against them."

A new picture appeared on the slide. This one had the same feminine features as the previous woman, however this time it's body was covered in dark scales. It's eyes had turned a demonic red with black slitted pupils. A long pointed tail curled around its body and small horns protruded from his head.

"That, is what a succubus' real form looks like." The males in the room all cringed, realizing that this creature was the same woman from just a slide before.

"The key to not falling for their illusions is to avoid looking them in eyes. The eyes are what they'll just to incapacitate you."

Freed raised his hand. "What about women?"

"Ah! Good question Freed!" Gildarts responded enthusiastically, as if glad that someone had actually listened to his lecture. "Fortunately for them, women are not affected by succubi as they only target men. However, there is a male version of them called incubi, plural for incubus." A new picture showed up, revealing a handsome man with perfectly chiseled features.

Lucy could hear the sighs amongst the women in the class. She had to admit, she'd probably fall for that demon's traps too. Which is exactly why she didn't own an incubus. Not yet at least.

The lecture continued on, detailing where succubi and incubi were often found, their preying habits and other information associated with the class of demon.

"Alright that's it for today's class. Do your homework before next class and so on and so forth," Gildarts droned, returning to his previous nonchalant attitude. "You're dismissed kids."

There was loud shuffling as the students all packed up at once before filing out of the room. Lucy slowly placed her notes back into bag. The lecture was surprisingly useful in some parts, clarifying theory and details to her otherwise only first hand knowledge. Her eyes glanced up at the last picture on the screen. It was of another woman seducing a man.

Succubus…

That reminded her of an idea.

When Lucy moved to exit the classroom, with Cerberus cradled in her arms, happily drunk on her blood, Gildarts called out to her.

"Hey little lady."

Lucy turned around, with furrowed brows. What did the professor want with her?

Gildarts continued as soon as he got Lucy's attention. "That's quite an interesting pet you've got there." Lucy noticed the tone change immediately. It wasn't like his nonchalant tone in the beginning of the lecture, or his serious tone during lecture. His voice was now…filled with caution.

"He's not a pet," Lucy defended, hugging Cerberus closer. Cerberus' attention was now fixated on the man in front of his master.

Gildarts glanced down at the hell-hound in the girl's arms. The Master had told him about her and her magic. She interested him…a lot. Amongst all the things he had seen in his day, a demon summoner was definitely not one of them. And to be able to summon the Greater demon Cerberus so easily…he wondered just how she did it.

"Is there anything else?...Professor," Lucy's tone changed to match that of Gildarts. Cautionary. Her guard was up.

Lucy was surprised at how fast his moods could change. Gildart's lopsided, perverted grin was back, matching his ill formed outfit.

"No, nothing else," Gildarts grinned. "Come by the guild sometime, I'll treat a beautiful girl like you to a drink."

Lucy's nose immediately scrunched up in disgust. "No thanks." She turned on her heel and left the room, listening to Gildart's lighthearted laughter as she left.

Gildarts watched the girl leave before turning to the last two people left in the room. He glanced up at the lightning dragon slayer and his green haired friend. "That's quite an interesting girl you brought back there…Laxus."

Laxus snorted. "You haven't seen anything yet."

"Well then," Gildarts smirked. "I'll be excited to learn more about our mysterious new guild member."

* * *

Lucy was unable to decline the invitation to hang out at the guild after class that evening. Which was why she found herself currently sandwiched between Natsu and Wendy at the bar. It still confused her as to how a minor like Wendy could be inside a place that was so obviously a bar.

They were chatting about the day's events when two white-haired people approached them. They looked quite similar to Mira. Siblings perhaps?

"Hey Lisanna!" Natsu greeted with a mouth full of fire fries. He turned towards Lucy. "Lucy, this here is Lisanna. Mira's younger sister."

Lucy noted Lisanna's short hair and bright smile on her face.

The other was a much taller and extremely muscular man who gave her a nervous smile when Natsu introduced him. "This is Elfman. He's older than Lisanna, but younger than Mira. He's in second year."

Lisanna turned towards Lucy with a smile. "It's nice to meet you!"

"It's…nice to meet you too." Lucy replied politely.

"Hey Lisanna! You should show Lucy your magic!" Natsu suggested excitedly. He liked the way Lucy's face lit up when she saw cool magic.

"No Natsu. There are mundanes here tonight. No magic," Mira scolded. She didn't need the mundanes freaking out over any loose tigers and rabbits in the guild tonight. They were running low on cash as it is, they didn't need anymore paying customers to run off.

"Aww…" Natsu pouted, his mood deflating.

Lisanna giggled. "That's okay Natsu." She turned towards Lucy. "My magic is take-over magic. My specialty is with animals."

"Take over?" Lucy asked, confused.

"It's hard to describe until you see it, but basically I take over certain body parts of animals," Lisanna explained. "Elf nii-chan here is the same, except with beasts."

"It's man!" Elfman suddenly exclaimed. Lucy didn't quite get the connection with 'man', but she didn't feel like commenting.

Lucy turned towards Mira with slight curiosity. "So if both of them have take over magic, does that mean…?"

"Yep!" Mira said with a smile.

Natsu turned to whisper in Lucy's ear, though Natsu didn't exactly know the meaning of whisper. "Be careful around Mira. She's scary!"

Lucy immediately understood what he meant when she saw Mira's dark aura. Amazing. Her aura matched that of an upset Seilah. Mira directed her attention towards the fire mage. "What did you say Natsu?"

"N-Nothing!" Natsu exclaimed, trying to hide his face behind Happy.

Satisfied with Natsu's reaction, Mira's aura immediately disappeared behind a gentle smile. "My take-over…involves demons."

Lucy's eyes immediately widened. "Demons?! So you're…like me?"

"A-Ah not quite," Mira commented with a sheepish smile. "I don't summon them. I just take over their characteristics."

"That's…amazing," Lucy finally understood why Cerberus had taken a liking to the mage. The demon must have noted Mira's underlying demon composition. And even though Mira wasn't the exact same as her, to have someone similar was good enough.

Mira let out a huge smile. Having been called a monster since she had been young, it was nice to have someone say that her magic was amazing.

A little afterwards, the bar had broken up into a fight between Natsu and Gray, with others joining in soon after. Lucy moved over to a table farther away from the action, wondering if it was normal for them to fight so much. She spent her time alone simply people watching. During which she noticed something interesting. Mira had mentioned it in passing earlier, but Lucy wasn't paying attention then.

"This guild has normal people in it…" Lucy wondered out-loud.

"That's because it doubles up as a bar during the night-time. It's open to the public. It brings in extra revenue for the guild."

Lucy looked up slightly surprised. "Freed."

The green-haired mage smiled at her before sitting down next to her. "How are you, Lucy?" He had seen her earlier in the day, but he figured it would be nice for the girl to have someone to talk to.

"It's…complicated." Lucy replied honestly. She didn't really know how to act around these people. Half the time their mannerisms still confused her. She really felt out of her element here.

Freed nodded. "I'm not surprised. You've been through a lot I've heard. This must seem unfamiliar to you."

"Don't presume to know me," Lucy snapped back. She startled even herself with her harsh tone, but it had come out like a reflex.

She had expected him to be offended and walk off, but the man merely gave her another sympathetic smile. "Of course not. I'm merely here to help you."

"Why? Because the Master said so?" Lucy asked, her eyes narrowing. It wouldn't surprise her that she had two caretakers.

"Because I want to. Because-"

"Because I intrigue you." Lucy cut him off. She turned to face the mage and judging by the look on his face, she hit the nail on the head.

"You're very perceptive, Lucy," Freed didn't deny her statement. In fact, he was very intrigued. This girl had a dark past, with rare magical powers and great potential. He was very curious as to what she would do next.

"Well, I've always been taught to know thy enemy," Lucy accidently blurted out. This time, Freed did react.

"And we are considered your enemy?" Freed raised a brow.

"Everyone is my enemy…" Lucy whispered honestly. Even though these people had technically rescued her from Tartaros, she still wasn't ready to trust any of them. It was too dangerous to trust.

"That sounds a little lonely doesn't it?" Freed pointed out with a small frown.

"You know; you sound just like that annoying pervert-" Lucy started.

A deep voice cut into their conversation. "Who's the annoying pervert?"

Lucy turned around and immediately scowled. Seemed like he was right on cue, with friends this time as well. One was a man who wore a purple and black striped t-shirt over a pair of jeans and dark sunglasses. Why he wore sunglasses indoors she did not know. The other was a smug looking woman with brown hair and glasses wearing a body-hugging dress. Said annoying pervert himself was wearing a simple black v-neck t-shirt and dark jeans with a large fur-lined overcoat draped over his shoulders.

"Hey Laxus…I think she's talking about you." The man with the sunglasses said, followed by maniacal laughter.

Before Laxus could reply, Freed cut in. "Lucy, this is Bickslow." He gestured towards the one who had just spoken.

"And this is Evergreen." Freed gestured towards the woman.

"So you're the new girl." Evergreen said with a calculating smile. Lucy could feel her eyes scanning her from top to bottom. In fact, she could sense all of them sizing her up.

"What of it?" Lucy asked, placing her defenses up.

Bickslow laughed at the new girl's tone as well as the defiant look in her eyes as she stared down Evergreen. "You have sass. I like that."

Lucy rolled her eyes, which only resulted in another laugh from the odd mage. Deciding that this was enough for today, she stood up and moved to leave. "It was…nice talking to you, Freed."

Laxus smirked. "What's wrong Princess? Are we too much for you to handle?" He took note of the black crop top she wore along with a dark skirt. Not a huge fan of colour was she?

"I'd rather not be around you for more than what is necessary," Lucy spit out. She turned to head out the guild.

"Hey, what did you do to piss off the new girl Boss?" Bickslow asked as he watched Lucy leave.

"None of your business, Bicks," Laxus growled.

Bickslow rolled his eyes, used to his leader's moods. "Hai, hai…"

Lucy was walking by the mess of limbs that included Natsu when he suddenly called out to her. "Lucy! You're leaving so soon?"

"I'm tired Natsu," Lucy confessed, even though it was still early evening.

"You won't stay for dinner?" Natsu asked before sending another punch in Gray's direction.

Lucy paused for a moment, but then she heard Mira by the bar. "That will be five hundred jewels please." Lucy flinched, then shook her head. "No thanks. I'll eat at home."

"Alright Lucy. I'll see you tomorrow then?" Natsu suggested with a grin.

She nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Lucy was almost out the door when she was suddenly stopped by three men. She looked up at them and immediately she recognized these type of men.

"Hey there beautiful. Care to join us for the night?" One of them asked with a sly grin. The others sent her the same suggestive look.

Lucy sighed. Even here there were these kinds of men. Why was she surprised? "No thanks. Now please move." She tried to pass them, but one of them blocked the door with his arm.

"Aww babe. Don't be like that. We'll show you a good time." The second man said with a perverted smirk.

Lucy tried to count to ten in the back of her head in order to calm herself down, but before she reached four, the last of the men decided it was smart to reach for her shoulder. She was on the verge of grabbing that outreached hand, twisting it around his back and snapping it when suddenly a heavy foreign arm decided to drape itself over her shoulder, with its hand hung a little too close to her right breast.

She stiffened when she heard Laxus' voice right next to her left ear. "I don't think you guys could handle a woman like this one. She's too dangerous for you. You'd be biting off more than you could chew."

The three men wanted to protest, but seeing Laxus' larger size, they smartly decided to back off.

Lucy could feel her own body shaking in rage. "If you don't remove your arm within the next second, I won't hesitate to rip it off too."

Laxus only chuckled before lifting his arm from her shoulder, placing his hands up in mock defense. "Relax Princess. Just helping you out."

"I don't need it," Lucy snapped back, glaring at him when he smirked at her.

"Mmm you're right, it's not like I don't know what you're capable of," Laxus agreed. His face held the smirk, but his eyes were dark with mistrust. "But I'd rather not have you killing the mundanes. They actually spend money at the bar."

Lucy glared back, before turning towards the door again. "As if I'd spend my own energy dealing with scum like that."

Laxus watched with amusement as the blonde left before returning to the Raijinshuu.

"Hey Laxus, what is it with you and the new girl?" Evergreen asked. The lightning mage seems to have taken a interest in the somewhat rude woman.

"Nothing," Laxus said curtly. His tone cut off any other comments they may have.

Bickslow scanned the guild before groaning out loud in frustration. "Ahh the girls here tonight are so bland." He threw an arm over Laxus' shoulder. "Hey Laxus. Let's go downtown tonight."

Freed narrowed his eyes. "We still have class tomorrow…"

"Ehh don't be such a bummer, Freed," Bickslow complained, his tongue hanging out. "We'll be back by 'curfew', promise."

Evergreen rolled her eyes at Bickslow's behaviour. Boys.

Laxus gave it some thought before agreeing. He needed a stress reliever after recent events. "Sure. It's getting boring here anyways."

"Laxus!" Freed exclaimed, with furrowed brows.

"Don't worry Freed, see ya tomorrow," Laxus waved them off before getting up.

Evergreen and Freed both sighed, Bickslow's maniacal laughter reaching their ears as the pair left.

* * *

Lucy's apartment was dark when she arrived home. Tossing her keys into the bowl next to her door, she sighed before once again noting how empty the place was. She felt the cold tiles underneath her feet as she padded towards the kitchen.

Once there, she threw open all the cupboards as well as the fridge.

Empty.

"I'll eat a home huh…" Lucy whispered into the darkness, followed by a pitiful laugh. Her stomach chose that exact moment to growl and clench in pain.

"I don't think I can last like this," Lucy said to herself as she closed everything back up. She was glad that the food in the cafeteria was free, meaning that at least she always had something to eat during lunch. She figured stuffing her face at noon would make her last through the day, but judging by how much pain her stomach was in at the moment, it obviously wasn't working. She didn't think she'd fare very well if this continued for much longer.

Walking over to her closet she threw it open with a sigh. Aside from her uniforms, there were only a few items of clothing inside, making the already large closet seem even more empty. She took out one of the few things she managed to take from her room before her flight from Tartaros. Unfortunately, money was not one of them.

Throwing the black cloak around her, she put on the hood, before heading out the door.

"Didn't think I'd be going back so soon."

Calling out Naberius, Lucy quickly climbed on top of the massive three eyed raven before heading out towards the city center. It didn't take her long to arrive while flying. As she neared, she lowered herself down into an alley before returning Naberius to the underworld. It would be easier to walk from here.

Stepping out from the alley, she started to make her way across the street until she was stopped by a lone set of train tracks. For a moment, she simply paused and stared at the tracks in front of her.

The city had always been separated by these tracks. Once belonging to the steam rail that used to frequent the city center, it was now empty and unused, replaced by subways and other modes of transportation. Some have wondered as to why it was never removed if it no longer served a purpose. But that was where they were wrong. It did. In fact, it was kept because of this purpose.

It separated the dark and the light sides of the city.

At first glance it might be tough to tell the difference, but to Lucy it was an immediate change. On the other side, she could immediately sense the overlying aura of darkness and danger. Most upstanding people instinctively stayed away from the darker half of the city. But for Lucy, it had been her home for over a decade.

Staring intently at the tracks, Lucy took a deep breath in before slowly walking across to the other side.

Letting go of that breath once she reached the other side, Lucille eyes hardened before heading towards her destination.

* * *

For a weeknight, the city center was surprisingly busy. The locals liked to call this half of the downtown area as no-man's land. The Baram Alliance had come to an agreement that no one mafia would own this part of the city. As such, this area still held some…class compared to the deeper parts of the city controlled by one of the three. It also made it slightly safer compared to areas that were claimed by a particular group. Though she had to stress the word slight.

On this side of the tracks, cops were practically non-existent.

Slipping in and out of a couple of alleys before passing by a stream of clubs and bars, Lucille finally reached her destination, sandwiched between a flashy night club and a seemingly high class bar. It wasn't uncommon to see the rich hanging around this part of downtown, wishing to experience the wilder side of Magnolia. People in this part of town made their own rules. Here, there was no one watching and no one caring. Which is why uptight business men always found themselves wandering over, hoping to relieve the daily stress of maintaining proper appearances.

And Lucille simply loved to capitalize on that fact. Those greedy men always had it coming to them. Which is why she found herself once again standing here, staring up at the set of stairs in front of her. Above her a dark sign hung over the street. Written in fancy calligraphy were the words:

"Mama's Gentleman's Club."

Throwing her hood back, Lucille walked up the dark stairs which would soon be lit when the club opened later that night. Throwing open the fancy double set of heavy oak doors, Lucille called out with a smirk on her face.

"I'm back!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: Integrating Lucy into Fairy Academy is harder than I thought it would be. But poor Lucy, quite literally actually. She's been starving for practically a week now, with no money and no job. So what is she up to now?**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_

 _ **Edited for small introduction error.**_


	10. Demon Gate of the Seductress

**Chapter 10**

"Hey Ruby…stop hogging the mirror!" Kitty shouted as she shoved the red-head out of the way. She immediately took advantage of the free space to finish applying her bright red lipstick, smacking her lips before fluffing her voluminous blonde hair. Before she could check her cleavage she was dragged away from the mirror.

"That's not fair!" Ruby exclaimed as she pulled Kitty away. The red-head had two seconds to check her outfit before someone else pushed her out of the way to use the mirror.

"Girls…girls!" An older voice shouted, followed by the sharp snap of a fan. All the girls in the dressing room immediately turned around to address the older woman who looked around her fifties with long black hair. Though if she ever heard any of them call her old, they'd surely get a scolding. The woman wore a beautiful black dress that accentuated her every curve. "Hurry it up. We're opening soon."

"Hai Mama!" The girls all chanted. They continued their random chatter as they filed into the main lounge. Since the club took over the establishment next door they had expanded the lounge area. Expensive couches were scattered throughout the middle, while all across the outside of the lounge there were rooms, each identifiable with a name. Near the double doored entrance was a reception desk followed by a security room.

The girls were getting their final touches together before the night's shift when suddenly the doors to the club were thrown open and a loud declaration could be heard echoing throughout the lounge.

"I'm baaack."

The girls all turned towards the entrance to see a beautiful blonde woman with her arms spread out in a dramatic fashion. Her lips were curled upwards in flirty smile. Whispers immediately generated from the crowd.

"Impossible…" "Can't be…"

"Who is she?..." "You don't know?"

There was a loud sigh that could be heard from one end of the lounge. "You're much too excited to be returning here. I had no wishes to see you again…Eden."

Lucille smiled as she was greeted by her 'stage' name, before laughing at the older woman's comment. "It's nice to see you too…Mama."

Lucille's return seemed to finally sink in for some of the other girls.

"Eden!" A bunch of them ran over to give Lucille a hug. On the surface it would seem to be a joyous reunion, but you could tell in their eyes that they were saddened to see her return.

"Why did you come back?" Kitty asked. "I thought you had found something better? It's been four years already…"

Lucille smirked as she ruffled Kitty's hair, much to her dismay since it was ruining all the hard work she had put into making it _fabulous_. "Better question is…why are you still here?"

Kitty huffed. "That's none of your business…"

Lucille raised her brow. "Another greedy boyfriend then?"

Kitty blushed. "T-That's not it! I'm just taking another degree at the college that's all…"

Lucille's jaw dropped slightly. She didn't think the girl had it in her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lucille noticed a flash of red.

"Who is this?" Lucille asked gesturing to the red-head that was staring at her intently.

"Ah!" Kitty exclaimed, before placing an arm over Ruby's shoulders and pulling her over. "This is Ruby! She's relatively new here. Been here for about a year."

"I'd say its nice to meet you, but it's really not," Lucille commented. It never was nice to see another girl show up on Mama's doorsteps. And judging by the look of the red-head in front of her, she couldn't be much older than 14…not much older than she was when she started…

Ruby seemed to look at her with a worshipper's eyes. "A-Are you the owner of the Paradise room?"

Lucille gave her a solemn smile before giving her a light nod.

Suddenly a loud growl could be heard even above the sound of all the whispering. Everyone turned towards Lucille who only looked sheepishly down at her own stomach.

Mama sighed. "Come on. Let's get you some food shall we? Eat quick and get ready. Doors are opening in an hour."

"Hai!" Lucille exclaimed with a smile. She let out a content sigh as she glanced around the room. It was sad, but here was one of the few places she could even remotely call home. After Mama treated her to the best dinner she's had in ages – and the only dinner she's had in a week – Lucille sat herself down in the dressing room and made herself up. She only put on a hint of dark eyeshadow followed by some gentle eyeliner and light pink lipstick. She didn't use heavy makeup like the other girls, that would go against her image.

Eden. A symbol of innocence and purity. It was an image her customers always ate up.

Lucille glanced down at the Fairy Tail stamp on her chest and immediately covered it up with as much makeup as she could, currently cursing the fact that she had made it black. A couple of minutes later, she watched through the mirror as Mama made her way to stand behind her. Grabbing a brush from the table, the older woman started brushing her hair.

Mama was an interesting woman. Just shy of fifty, the older, dark haired woman was the closest thing to a mother she could find. After Tartaros had finally decided that it was too much work to feed her, Lucille had taken to the streets to find enough money for food. After a year of begging, she somehow found herself here. At first Mama refused to take her, stating that she was too young. But by that time Lucille was willing to do anything just to survive. Having too much sympathy for someone from the wrong side of the tracks, Mama had given her menial jobs to do: taking care of the girls, fetching water and drinks for the customers, even cleaning up the rooms afterwards. However, when she was twelve things had changed.

And after four years of doing 'real' work, Lucille had earned a name for herself here.

"We kept your room for you," Mama said absentmindedly.

Ah her room. Aptly named the Paradise room, it was the place where all men's desires came true. Famed for its mystery, each man seemed to boast of a different experience compared to the others that had come and gone before them.

To them it was…like magic.

"You knew I'd be back?" Lucille asked with a raised brow.

Mama only let out a small frown, a small amount of sadness could be seen in her eyes as Lucille watched her from the mirror.

"They always do…"

* * *

Mama's doors opened to customers soon after. Dressed in a short, low cut crimson coloured dress with black heels, Lucille found herself sitting next to a wealthy middle aged man, serving him a bottle of red wine and listening to his troubles with his wife. Though the blonde was bored out of her mind, it never showed on her face, keeping an attractive smile throughout the conversation.

She was on her way to grab another bottle of wine from the bar when she noticed the red-head Ruby struggling with one of her customers.

A greasy old man was obviously being too grabby. "Aww come on little girl, you're just my type."

Lucille could tell immediately that the girl was uncomfortable. Who wouldn't be with an ugly man like that?

"N-no I-I don't…let go of me!" Ruby cried out, struggle to take her hand back from the man.

Lucille could tell the man was running out of patience.

"You brat!" The man lifted his hand to strike the red-headed teen. Security was already on the move, but Lucille was faster, instantly grabbing his wrist. Ruby turned towards her with a silent tear filled plea.

The man was about to turn to her with a nasty retort, but Lucille beat him to the punch, flashing him the best business smile she could manage while on the inside she wanted to rip out his insides. "I apologize for her behaviour Master, but she's still new here. How about you come with me instead? I can satisfy you better than any of the other girls here."

The old man ripped his hand back from her grasp before taking a quick scan of her body and giving her a sneer. "You're too old for my tastes you whore." He turned to face Ruby once again, causing the poor girl to flinch in fear. "This one here is more like it."

Lucille balled a hand into a fist behind her back. Her smile grew wider as her tone lowered seductively. "But Master…have you heard of the Paradise room?"

Apparently he had for his mood instantly changed. "You mean…the fabled room of desires?"

"Yes," Lucille flashed him another a flirtatious smile. "And you can be its very first customer in a very long time." She dragged her words out for dramatic effect. Always seemed to work on perverts like this one.

His eyes sparkled and Lucille could practically see the disgusting drool running down his chin.

"Lead the way woman," the man demanded.

Lucille gestured towards the back end of the lounge with an outstretched hand. "Follow me Master." Before she left, she gave Ruby a small nod, silently telling her to hurry off before the man changed his mind. The young girl gave her a watery smile before bowing low and mouthing the words 'thank you' before Lucille left. Lucille inwardly sighed. That girl was too young for this.

As she walked, the greasy old man decided it was alright for him to attempt to grope a feel. Thanks to her quick reflexes honed over the years, Lucille merely slapped it away before telling the man to be patient. She walked them to the end of a hallway that branched off from the back of the lounge, before they reached a dark oak door. On it was a single gold plate with the word 'Paradise' engraved in black.

Inputting the code that she still remembered even after four years of absence into the lock, Lucille pushed open the door.

And with the brightest smile she could conjure up, Lucille once again repeated the vomit-inducing tagline that she has said to each and every customer she's ever had walk through this door.

"Welcome to Paradise, Master."

She let the old man walk by her and into the room, before shutting the heavy oak door behind her, its electronic lock automatically locking shut.

The Paradise room was an exquisite sight, which is expected given the high class status to Mama's Gentleman's Club. The room was large, with a floor to ceiling glass window on one wall, currently covered by curtains. Gentle lights were installed in the ceiling and could be changed by the flick of a switch. Against another wall lay large king sized bed, covered in pure white silk sheets.

The atmosphere to this room was completely different to that of the lounge area. While the lounge had a sexier, more sensual feel equipped with mood lighting and soft music, the Paradise room had an aura of piece and innocence, which was reflective of Eden's image.

It was like a blank slate, where each man's desires could be crafted into reality.

Those who have said that money couldn't buy happiness has definitely never been to this room.

Lucille led the drooling old man across the room, before pushing him down onto the bed. She gave him a seductive smile, to which he returned with a leery anticipatory grin. "Wait here, Master. I'll be just a moment."

Lucille walked towards the bathroom which was connected to the main room, swaying her hips gently with each step she took, knowing the man was looking. Closing the bathroom door behind her, she finally let her mask slip, her smile quickly turning into a scowl.

She sighed in frustration. She had forgotten how trying this job was. But she was willing to do whatever it took to survive. Besides, she received really high pay here. Which was expected of Mama's exclusive club. Only those rich enough to afford membership may walk through those large oak doors. Usually that would ensure a higher…quality of customer, but occasionally scum like the one currently sitting on the bed outside were let in. Such was the power of money.

And this one just happened to have a fascination towards the young ones. Lucille let out a short exhale of breath. She had met many a customer like this back when she was younger. And there wasn't always someone to save her like she did with Ruby.

Thankfully she didn't need to be saved.

"Time to get the show on the road," Lucille flashed herself a dangerous smile through the mirror, a dark glint in her eye. After a deep breath, Lucille snapped the clips to her cuffs into place, feeling the familiar sting in her wrists as blood was drawn. Eyes hardening, she envisioned a gate that was coloured black, with rose vines wrapped around its bars. Each rose was of a deep crimson red and she could practically feel the prick of their thorns as she pushed the gates open.

"Open! Demon gate of the Seductress!-"

Lucille paused for a moment as if she was thinking. "…Eden!"

In a puff of black smoke, a demon appeared next to Lucille in the large bathroom.

It spoke with a heady, pouty voice. "Ojou-sama! You picked me today!"

Lucille rolled her eyes as she faced the succubus. The demon's body was just like how Gildart's had described it early this morning. The succubus had an hourglass body covered in dark scales. She had large perky breasts and a long pointed tail that waved happily behind her as if she was a dog. Small horns protruded out of her head of golden hair. Bright red eyes with dark slitted pupils stared at her.

"Well…I haven't called you out in a while so-"

"You're right you haven't!" Eden huffed, her arms crossed over her chest. "It's been soooo boring…"

Lucille scoffed before dragging Eden in front of the mirror and brushing through her hair with her fingers. "Well we have a willing customer today."

"Oh…back to doing this now? It's been a while since we've played this game!" Eden gave Lucille a predatory grin through the mirror.

"Ah, it has," Lucy replied. "Oh before I forget. Our customer today likes the young ones."

Eden immediately scrunched her nose in disgust. "Ugh. I hate those. Couldn't you find me a handsome one? Those ones are tastier. More youthful."

"Hai hai," Lucille sighed. "I'll get you one after this guy alright?"

Eden rolled her eyes. "Fine…" With a quick wisp of smoke, Eden's body had shrunken down to a child's size.

"And don't kill this one this time," Lucille added as a side thought. "We need to get our name out there again. Can't do that without customers to spread the word."

"Hai Ojou-sama…"

And with that Eden stepped out of the room. Lucille smirked to herself as she heard the conversation in the next room. Seeing as he was a normal human…a mundane…the man had fallen for Eden's illusions the moment he laid eyes on her. It would only take a couple of minutes before Eden 'worked her magic' on him.

After five minutes, Lucille exited the bathroom. She walked out to see the man lying on the bed with his eyes closed. She scowled at him. Even unconscious, he had a lecherous smile on his face. Then again they all do. Eden was on her hands and knees over his body, her lips hovering over the man's open ones. Slowly Lucille watched as Eden fed off the sexual energy that slowly left the man's lips in a white wisp.

Eden usually didn't touch the one's she didn't like. It never took long for them to fall under her spell. From there, the men simply fell into a dream filled with their innermost physical desires, allowing them to fulfill their fantasies. There they wallowed, gathering sexual energy before Eden sucked it straight out of them.

For Eden, it was a simple meal. For the men, it was 'the best sex of their life'.

And Lucille didn't even need to lift a finger. She considered it a win-win situation. The day she had contracted with Eden, her first succubus, was the day her life had changed. She was twelve at the time, and finally she had the ability to work without sacrificing her own body. She felt bad for cheating the system like this, but she would never let these kinds of men touch her.

Lucille flopped down on the sofa across the room and reached into the man's jacket which had been draped over the back. Pulling out the man's wallet, she pulled out all the jewel notes that the man had, jewel signs instantly lighting up in her eyes as she counted the notes. Five hundred thousand jewels. It wasn't the most she had taken from a single customer, but it was decent. She was instantly reminded of why she catered to the rich men. They always carried insane amounts of money on their person, always overconfident about their wealth.

And each and every one of them deserved having their wallets drained empty by her. Besides, they never realize that she milks them dry, since Eden's feeding always leaves them slightly light headed, but fully satisfied as they leave.

And they always come back for more.

"How long was this appointment for again?" Eden asked while she lounged casually on the large bed, twiddling her long hair.

"Give him another fifteen minutes. I'm bored already," Lucille said with a yawn. Thankfully it didn't take as much energy to summon a succubus. While she was still a Greater demon, Eden ranked lower on the hierarchy compared to Cerberus. Lucille will consider this magic practice, like Freed had instructed her to do. Though he'd probably flip out if he knew what she was doing.

"Kayy."

As instructed, fifteen minutes later, Eden released the old man from her spell, letting the man come back to consciousness before helping him off the bed and to the door. Giving him a small wave and a smile, Eden tried not to roll her eyes as she said the words, but she asked the man to visit again before closing the door behind her.

She sent Lucille another suggestive smile when the blonde mage walked out of the bathroom. "Next one?"

Lucille sent her a similar smile back before walking out the door to entice another customer.

* * *

The rest of the night had flown by and soon the last customer had been sent off.

"Let's call it night, shall we?" Lucille suggested.

Eden, who had returned to her womanly size after the second customer, nodded enthusiastically.

The pair proceeded to make their way to the bathroom, before standing in front of the side wall. Another secret to the Paradise room was the existence of a hidden door, built so perfectly that it melded into the tiles of the bathroom, remaining unseen unless one knew of its existence. This door connected to a smaller, more modest room. It had a cozier looking queen sized bed along with a small bookshelf and a desk.

Lucille hadn't seen this room in years. The Paradise room was the only one in the club with a connecting room through the bathroom, and it was mostly used for her to wait while her succubi did their job. She liked waiting here more than in the main room. Especially when one of them actually liked a customer. When that happened they chose to engage in real sex, which resulted in some disturbing sounds that Lucille didn't wish to hear.

Lucille let out a tired sigh as she went to sit on her bed. She leaned against the wall while Eden sat in between her legs, leaning her back against Lucille's chest with a contented sigh.

Eden stretched her arms out in front of her as she yawned. "That was a productive night! I haven't fed this much in ages!"

Lucille smiled down at the top of Eden's head. "We'll be back tomorrow night."

"Oh! Pick me again please!" Eden exclaimed, turning her head around with a smile. "Or better yet, lets call out Delilah and-"

"No," Lucille cut her off with a flat tone. "Last time I called more of your sisters out you girls fought over the client. You girls ended up sucking him dry."

"But that was the point anyways right?" Eden pointed out.

"That bastard didn't deserve to go with a smile on his," Lucille gritted her teeth. After she had started going on missions, she would occasionally use her succubi to do the job. Especially if the man was prone to falling for sexualized women. And occasionally she'd come across targets that completely repulsed her to the bone. The last target she sent her succubi on…let's just say she wanted to rip out his throat himself.

For some reason, the annoying pervert's words once again flashed through her mind. Yes. She was now able to choose what she did with her demons. But if she had to go back and do everything again, she had a feeling she wouldn't change a thing.

Those bastards deserved everything she dished out to them.

Eden laughed at Lucille's comment, before taking a hold of the mage's right wrist. "Can I?"

"Try not to be messy. I actually like these sheets," Lucille pointed out. Eden nodded, before pulling Lucille's wrist to her mouth and sinking her fangs in, right below where her cuff was. Lucille leaned her head back against the wall, facing out the window while she let Eden feed directly from her. With her free hand, she absentmindedly brushed her fingers through the demon's hair. Eden liked it when she played with her hair.

Somehow Lucille had fallen asleep soon after, Eden returning to underworld when she lost consciousness.

* * *

Morning announced its arrival through the bright light streaming through the window, hitting the left side of Lucille's face. Lucille groaned for moment, before instantly sitting up. Panicking, she picked up the alarm clock next to the bed before jumping out of bed.

She's going to be late for class.

Grabbing her things, Lucille ran out through the bathroom and into the main area of the Paradise room before bursting out in the lounge. Quickly leaving Mama half the jewels she had earned the night before, Lucille ran out the double oak doors of the gentleman's club and onto the street. Squinting at the bright sun, Lucille ran past multiple streets and weaved in and out of a couple of alleys before she burst out into the middle of the city center again. Seeing the train tracks, Lucille quickly ran across.

After she made her way to the other side, Lucy froze as she caught sight of someone she wasn't expecting. Immediately hiding herself in a nearby alley, Lucy watched as Laxus and Bickslow walked by. What were they doing here so early in the morning?

"Ah! What a night!" Bickslow half laughed and half yawned, stretching his arms out over his head. "I still can't believe we stayed the night. That club was insane! And those girls! Freed is going to freak when we're late for class."

Laxus snorted as he walked beside Bickslow. "Then stop talking and hurry your ass-" He paused when he suddenly caught a familiar scent of strawberries. Turning in the direction of the smell, he stared into a nearby dark alley, but couldn't quite see anything inside.

Lucy started to panic when she watched Laxus turn towards the alley she was in. She immediately shrunk further into the darkness, hoping he wouldn't be able to see her.

"Laxus?" Bickslow turned towards his friend in confusion.

"It's nothing, let's go," Laxus replied, shaking his head. He must have just been hallucinating since it wasn't likely that the Princess would be here.

Lucy let out the breath she had been holding when the pair finally left. Waiting for a couple minutes longer, she summoned Naberius and had her take her home.

* * *

Lucy let out a loud yawn, before her head slightly bobbed and almost fell into the tomato soup she had been eating at lunch. She probably only clocked three hours of sleep the night before so she was currently exhausted.

Natsu stared at his friend with confusion. "Lucy…Why are you so tired?" She had been yawning the entire morning and had fallen asleep at the table twice already. Now that he thought it, Lucy seems to be a little pale, and slightly skinnier than he remembered. Why is that?

Lucy yawned out her answer. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

Natsu furrowed his brow. "Were you out somewhere? Was that why you weren't home this morning?"

Lucy immediately sat up, alert. "What are you talking about?"

Happy butted in. "Well when we went to pick you up this morning you weren't there!"

Lucy panicked internally for a moment before trying to cover for herself. "I must have already left before you came to get me!"

"Why didn't you wait for us?" Natsu frowned. While her explanation made some sense, for some reason, it still hurt his feelings a little bit that she didn't wait for them.

Lucy gave him a flat look. "I don't need intruders in my house every morning."

"Lucyyyy that's mean!" Happy whined, with a frown on his face.

Lucy stared at the pouting combo before sighing. "Fine…but I want notice." That way she'd know which nights she must return to her place.

"Okay!" Natsu and Happy chimed together with bright grins on their faces.

Lucy sighed in relief before concentrating on her lunch again. Unbeknownst to the trio, there was another dragon slayer nearby who had heard their entire conversation. Laxus narrowed his eyes as he studied the blonde. She wasn't home this morning huh…

Guess he had to stop shirking on his babysitting duties tonight.

* * *

As the lunch hour continued to pass, Lucy sat there with her head in her palm staring at the people around them. They seem so…happy. Sheltered. As if they haven't experienced even a shred of what the outside world was like. For the past week, she tried to live like them, unknowing, uncaring…happy. But of course that wouldn't last. Last night was a reminder of how she would never escape the chains that tied her down to the cruel world that exists on the other side of the train tracks. The world that doesn't care.

These people know nothing. Her other hand gripped into a fist. It was hard not to start resenting them.

"That's quite an ugly face you're making there."

Lucy turned around just to come face-to-face with a chest full of boob, and dark brown hair. She flinched before moving her eyes back up to the girl's face, and caught deep brown eyes that seemed all-knowing. The girl was wearing a similar uniform to her, except her tie was loosed and her shirt was partially unbuttoned.

"Cana Alberona," the girl introduced before sitting down across from her. Lucy stared at her suspiciously before glancing around the rest of the table. "Don't worry about them. No one else is paying attention to us." She was right. Natsu was off picking a fight with Gray and Erza was too busy trying not to stare at Jellal while they did school council work. It was just them.

"You don't need to hide that face you know," Cana pointed out when Lucy attempted to give her what was supposed to be a friendly smile. "It's fine if you show it here. No one would care. In fact, I think they'd rather that than the fake smiles you've been giving them no? They'd want to know the real you."

"What do you know?" Lucy replied, her voice growing slightly cold.

"Now that's more like it!" Cana gave her a smile. "I know a lot of things actually. I'm Fairy Tail's resident fortune teller you know." Cana pulled out a set of cards and started laying them out. "I've been watching you. The new mysterious girl. The one with the bright, nervous smile and yet strangely polite. Which I do call bullshit on by the way." More cards were laid out in front of Lucy. Cana pointed a card in Lucy's direction. "You're the first one to integrate so seamlessly into Fairy Tail without any issues. Which never happens and which is why I'm here to wake you up."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You don't know?" Cana asked. "Most of the kids here-" She gestured towards the rest of the cafeteria. "-have come to Fairy Tail with their own dirty pasts." Cana laid down her last card. "And this happens to be yours." Lucy stared down at the tarot cards that mean nothing to her. "I've got to admit Lucy, you've had a shitty life. But it's not just you that's been through a lot."

"People here haven't been through what I've been through," Lucy said through gritted teeth. It was getting harder and harder to hide her true feelings about this place the longer this girl talked.

"You're right," Cana said. "But you haven't been through what they've been through either. You don't get to be special here." Cana leaned over the table with a small grunt. "It's not good to hide what makes you ugly." She then proceeded to reach over and loosen Lucy's tie and unbutton the first couple of buttons before messing up Lucy's golden blonde hair. She sat back down and studied Lucy for a moment before giving her a smile. "Now that looks much more like you. Don't you think?"

Lucy sighed as she glanced down at herself before staring back at the girl across from her. This girl was scary. Lucy let out a dark smile. She liked her.

"Now that's what I want to see, Lucy," Cana said when she caught Lucy's real smile. "I'll see you around. Drop by the guild sometime, I'll buy you a drink."

"I'll hold you to it," Lucy said, not turning to see the card mage's smile. Lucy turned back to face the others, this time not holding back the frown she had when she stared at them. She glanced over at Natsu, the one who also seemed much to happy for her tastes. She was curious. Maybe she wasn't the only one who hid behind a bright smile. What sort of past did he have then?

* * *

Later that night, Lucy had brushed off another invite to the guild after classes, in favour of heading to Mama's early. Hopefully the woman would be kind enough to gift her with the wonders of her cooking yet again.

Lucy also hoped that with her earnings today, she would make enough to last her until the end of the month. She received a modest number of clients last night, mostly due to her showing up out of the blue after four years. But by tonight, word should have spread that she had returned.

And the Paradise room had been reopened.

Once again throwing on her hooded cloak, Lucy stole away towards the city. When she had reached the train tracks separating the two halves of the city, Lucy once again stopped for a moment, but with less hesitation, she crossed them once again.

Upon reaching the other side, Lucille quickly navigated the streets until she reached the club.

Little did she know that someone else was following her every move that night.

* * *

Having posted himself by Lucy's apartment since class had ended, Laxus was very aware of the dark hooded figure that left the apartment around the late evening. It was a similar image to one from the day he first met the blonde. He cursed when she summoned the raven for he had soon lost sight of the girl, but her scent was still in the air, and that was good enough for him.

He tracked the scent of strawberries all the way to the city center until he reached the divide between the two halves of the city. Snarling, he noticed that the scent passed through the train tracks and into the other side of the city. Having been to the darker side of the city on missions prior, the most notable one being the time he tracked down this blonde assassin, he knew what to expect when he passed. Nonetheless, it left a foul taste in his mouth.

Lucy's scent passed by a couple of streets that were lit with myriads of colours advertising strip clubs, dance clubs, bars and more. The typical night scene in the downtown area, but even he could sense that places here were less…tame.

The farther he walked the darker his mood became. Where was this girl headed? Weaving through multiple dark alleys Laxus was already finding himself in a more dangerous part of the city, though he knew this was nothing compared to the territories controlled by the dark guilds.

After a while of tracking, Lucy's scent finally led him to a brightly lit staircase. It was between a blaring night club and a high class bar. He lifted his head towards the lit sign above his head, eyes narrowing when he read the fancy lettering on its front.

Mama's Gentleman's Club.

Laxus gritted his teeth. "You've got to be kidding me."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thanks for all the reviews so far! It's nice knowing what you guys think. Also to the Guest (whoever you are) who wrote almost an essay for a review. ~you practically read my mind...its scary but amazing LOL~. But yes I can see how I'm leaning towards Lalu right now, but I still wanna give Natsu a chance, so he'll be a little more prominent in chapters to come. Someone's gotta take Lucy on her first mission right? ;D**_

 ** _There will be times when some chapters are slower than others, I do wanna incorporate some slice-of-life moments into this story as opposed to each chapter being heavy. Anyways, hope you're enjoying this so far!_**

 ** _Until the next chapter!_**


	11. Welcome to the Other Side of the Tracks

**Chapter 11**

Laxus had expected many things when he opened the set of oak doors at the top of the staircase. But this wasn't exactly it.

"Welcome to Mama's!" A gorgeous blonde greeted him as soon as he stepped through the doors. She was wearing a tight fitting cerulean blue dress that was so short that any movement would've allowed Laxus to catch a glimpse of what was underneath. This would have normally perked his interest, but unfortunately he came with a different purpose tonight.

Kitty was estatic when the doors opened up to a gorgeous young man with a very well-built body. Just her luck that she happened to have just finished with her last client and was waiting by the door for another. Seeing as she didn't recognize this man, she assumed that he was new, because she would remember if a god had walked into Mama's before. Kitty didn't even mind that he was dressed in less…appropriate clothing, meaning he probably had less money compared to her normal clients.

"I'm looking for a blonde," Laxus informed her. Though he realized exactly how that sounded as soon as the blonde giggled at him.

"Well here I am!" Kitty gleamed, feeling even happier knowing she was this man's type. "This way please."

Laxus scowled as he followed the blonde down the short hallway that opened up into a spacious, wide spread room, fully equipped with lounge chairs and mood lighting…everything that he'd expect in a gentleman's club. Though he knew that this just what was on the surface. He noticed all the well-dressed men sitting next to scantily clad girls. He let out a deep, frustrated breath. What the hell was that girl doing in a place like this?

"Membership card?"

Laxus shot the blonde a glare. "I'm only here to look for someone. I don't need no membership card." He shoved past the girl, but was immediately blocked by two black suited mundane security guards.

"No membership. No entrance." They droned. It wasn't the first time they had to deal with people like this.

Kitty huffed. While it wasn't the first time a client had been rough to her, it still hurt to be pushed aside like that.

Laxus took a deep breath in order to calm down. He had to remind himself not to lose it on mundanes. They always caused a scene afterwards that he disliked dealing with. That and Gramps won't let him hear the end of it if he got into a random fist fight.

"Look. I'm just looking for a girl. She's yea high, chocolate brown eyes with…large assets." Laxus stumbled over the last part. It wasn't his fault that Lucy had a nice rack.

A low, feminine voice cut into their conversation and a closed fan hit Laxus' chest. "You heard what they said. No membership. No entrance."

Laxus turned towards the voice and noticed a middle aged woman. Well aged if he might add. His eyes drifted between the woman, the blonde and the two bulky security guards. He sighed. There was no point in causing a scene for no reason.

"How much?..."

The woman gave him a knowing smile while the blonde next to her gleamed. The older woman pointed towards a counter off to the side. "This is way please."

As they walked Mama spoke quietly to him. "I don't usually take your kind. But its incredibly hard to turn down a handsome man such as yourself."

Laxus eyes widened. His kind. He was sure that the woman was a mundane. How did she know about mages?

Mama seemed to have sensed his question. "I'm nothing special, boy. Just aware that is all."

Laxus' eyes narrowed. So she had the Sight even though she was a mundane. Now that was interesting.

* * *

Lucille smiled to herself as another 'satisfied' customer just left the Paradise room. Thumbing the jewel notes in her hand, she mentally calculated how much she had made in the past two nights. It should be enough to pay for electricity, food as well as next month's rent.

Over by the king sized bed, Eden stretched out like a cat, her tail swinging back and forth as it hung over the side of the bed.

"I'm getting our next appointment," Lucille said as she headed out the main door to the Paradise room.

"Haai!" Eden acknowledged as she smiled, satisfied with another feeding.

* * *

Laxus grumbled to himself as he was led over to the lounge by the same blonde from earlier. His eyes had bugged out at the price of the membership. Even though he always made a killing from each S Class mission he went on, this had definitely dug into his savings. What kinds of patrons were they dealing with here? Millionaires?

As he sat down on one of the couches, he let the blonde, whose 'name' he now knew was Kitty, pour him a drink. Taking a sip, he glanced around the large room, catching sight of men in similar situations, all dressed in fancy suits. From what he gathered when the old woman gave him a sales pitch for this place, the concept was simple. Girls come and cater to you in the lounge and if you just happened to like one of them, you were allowed to have some 'paid fun' in their own private rooms. You can request for certain girls, but the more popular ones had to be booked in advance.

Laxus snarled. What the hell was Lucy doing in a place like this?!

As he was lost in his own thoughts, he missed the sight of a blonde woman dressed in a revealing, body tight black dress that walked to the front of the lounge. However, when the familiar scent of strawberries drifted into his nose, he immediately shot up, catching the shocked gaze of the woman he was searching for, who was currently staring at him like she was a deer caught in headlights. On her left arm was a man who looked no younger than fifty.

Lucille was sent into a panic. What the hell was he doing here?! Her mind went through a dozen escape plans until she was pulled out of her thoughts by the annoyed voice of her next customer, asking her why she had stopped. She immediately apologized, before leading him away from the dragon slayer on the couch and towards the Paradise room.

Laxus tried to get up and follow the pair as soon as Lucy started moving away from him, but his arm was caught by the blonde next to him.

"Master…where are you going?" Kitty pouted, slightly miffed that the handsome man wasn't paying any attention to her. And she had worked so hard to get him too.

"Who is she?" Laxus asked, gesturing towards Lucy's retreating back.

Kitty's expression fell slightly. Of course. "That's Eden."

"Eden?" Laxus raised his brow. So the Princess had a stage name.

"There's no point in trying to get her, Master," Kitty said realistically. "She's fully booked for the whole night."

"I take it she's popular then," Laxus concluded. Leave it to the Princess to be popular at gentleman's club.

Kitty sighed, knowing that she had already lost the interests of this new customer. "She's the owner of the Paradise room." At his silence she continued. "It's the room where all men's desires come true."

Laxus smirked. "Well ain't that interesting." Guess it was time to go exploring. But first he had to get away from this one. He turned towards the blonde girl, brushing a strand of her hair away from her face. "Where's the bathroom here?"

Kitty flushed at the contact. "D-Down the hall that way."

It was in the same direction that Lucy went. Laxus sent her wolfish smile. "Perfect. I'll be back."

"A-Alright!" Kitty exclaimed, before she sat back with a sigh. Boy was that man handsome.

Laxus made his way down the hallway that Kitty had gestured towards, noting the different names on the doors as he walked by him. The scent of strawberries grew stronger as he walked, confirming his direction. It wasn't until the very end of the hall that he found the room he was looking for.

The Paradise Room.

He glanced down at the doorknob for a second, before he smirked. An electronic lock. Perfect.

Eden had scented the intruder before he had the time to open the door., her eyes widening when she sensed his magic power. Knowing she didn't have enough time to warn her Master, she sprang up from the bed, leaving behind her unconscious victim. She stood right behind the door and waited.

With a quick spark of his lightning, Laxus had managed to bypass the electronic lock. Quickly opening the door, the first thing his eyes saw where flashes of red until it immediately faded into chocolate brown. He glanced down and saw…a naked Lucy?!

Before he could say anything, Lucy had pulled him into the room and slammed the door shut. He felt himself being pulled and tossed onto a large bed, his back hitting the soft sheets. For some reason his body started feeling lethargic and heavy…and hot.

Lucy slowly came up to the bed and crawled on top of him, slinking up his body. Her eyes never left his, capturing his gaze and not letting go. He gulped, his throat at a loss for words. He admitted that he felt a physical attraction to the blonde, but he didn't know that she was attracted to him too.

"You know…" Lucy said seductively, her voice trailing slowly over her words as she her body hovered over his. "You're the most gorgeous customer I've had all night. I don't think she'd mind if I had a taste."

Laxus' thoughts were so jumbled that he could barely make out what she had said. Her breath hovered over his lips and he could smell the sweet scent of roses…

Wait.

Roses?

The haze cleared just slightly as his brain registered that something was wrong. But his body was once again giving in as soon as a hand trailed underneath his shirt and up his chest, causing his breath to hitch. Her touch sent waves of heat throughout his body. It was hot. Too hot.

Lucy's voice sounded heavenly as she whispered into his ear. "I wonder what you'll taste like…"

He tried to fight the shiver that went down his spine, but it was no use. However, his brain managed to catch her last couple of words. Finally figuring out what she was, Laxus immediately closed his eyes.

He could hear her soft chuckle. "It's too late for that lightning mage…you've already been caught…"

She was right. Even with his eyes closed he was seeing the image of Lucy in his mind. He felt her hands continuing to trail along his torso and Laxus could feel his pants getting tighter. Shit. He needed to do something about this. His arms tried to move, but they felt as if they were weighed down by rocks.

"Don't fight it…" 'Lucy' whispered against his neck, her breath tickling his skin. He hissed when she nipped the column of his neck.

"Damn…you…" Laxus choked, his mind trying to fight his body. He groaned when she sat down on his groin, the heat of her core causing his cock to harden even further.

"You're a strong one aren't you," Eden smirked as she watched how hard the mage was struggling. She would enjoy sucking this one dry. She had deemed him a threat and she would do anything to protect her Master from harm.

Damn it. He wasn't going to lose to a damn succubus. Laxus struggled with all his might against the invisible hold she had over him. His mind cleared for just a moment when he caught the sound of his own belt being unbuckled and he used that to channel his lightning.

With a pained cry, Eden jumped back off the mage as soon as he shocked her with a jolt of lightning. "How did you-?!"

Laxus opened his eyes, though he made sure to stare at anything but her eyes. His mind slowly clearing, he started to see the dark scales that made up the succubus body as the residual sparks of his lightning paralyzed her. He gave a weak smirk. "I ain't as pathetic as that old man," making a quick reference to Gildarts.

Lucille had been in the side room trying to think of a plan to get rid of Laxus, who she thought was still out in the lounge, when she heard Eden's cry of pain. She immediately bolted back into the main room, throwing open the bathroom door. She wasn't expecting to see what she saw.

Eden was kneeling on the ground, sparks still arcing along her body, while Laxus was half lying and half sitting on the bed. His shirt was pressed halfway up his chest, exposing his lower torso, while his pants were unzipped, revealing a painfully obvious erection. His eyes widened when he caught sight of her.

"What did you do?!" Lucille hissed as she ran to Eden's side, who was still cringing in pain. When Laxus tried to sit up, Lucille stood in between them. "Eden, I'm sending you back."

"But!" Eden protested.

Lucille gave her a smile. "I'll be fine, promise." Eden sent her another worried look before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Still lying on the bed, Laxus struggled with the haze still clouding his mind. "What did I do? What the hell did you do?! What the hell were you doing with that thing?!"

Lucille narrowed her eyes at the dragon slayer lying on the bed. "Eden's not a thing. She's a succubus."

"I think I know that by now," Laxus said as he gritted his teeth. Flashes of heat were still running through his body, making it really hard to concentrate on anything else aside from his raging hard on.

Lucille seemed to notice that as well as she smirked. "Need some help with that? I can call her back you know. Though I highly doubt she'll be as nice anymore."

So the demon was hers…

"No thanks," Laxus spat, his hands gripping into the sheets. He chuckled painfully. "Unless you're offering yourself. Isn't that what you do here?"

Lucille rolled her eyes, not giving into his taunt as she flopped down onto the couch across the room. Given the state the mage was currently in, Lucille didn't quite deem him as a threat. "As if I'd let these dirty old men touch me. Eden or the other girls do all the work for me."

Other girls? So she has more of them?!

"What are you doing?" Laxus asked, his breath still heavy as he watched her fish into the pockets of the suit jacket on the couch next to her.

"Collecting my dues," Lucille simply said as she grabbed all the jewel notes from the man's wallet. "A trip to paradise doesn't come for free you know. Haven't you noticed the man next to you yet?"

Laxus turned to his left and would've jumped back in surprise had his body not been so heavy. "Shit! What did you do to him?" He sneered at the disgustingly perverted smile on the man's face. He turned to glare at Lucy.

"Like I said. He's on a trip to his own personal sexual paradise, courtesy of Eden," Lucille repeated.

"You let that demon feed on him," Laxus growled.

"Of course," Lucille said, uncaring. "Why not? He's happy, she's happy, I'm happy."

"You're robbing him," Laxus snarled. He tried to move, but his body was still unresponsive.

"He deserves it," Lucille hissed, her voice dripping with hatred. "Greedy men like him always deserve it."

Laxus' eyes darkened and his voice lowered. "This is wrong."

"What is?"

"All of this."

"Why? Is it because your society deems this kind of work to be wrong?" Lucille stood up from the couch and walked over to the end of the bed.

"Welcome to the other side of the tracks Laxus." Lucille said with a sarcastically grand gesture. "Here, no one gives a damn what anyone else is doing. Everyone does their own thing and everyone minds their own business. Here, we create our own rules. When they come in here, they already know what their walking into."

Laxus growled, "Why are you doing this?"

"A girl's gotta eat you know," Lucille simply said. "And before you tell me something about finding a regular job, I'll tell you now that this pays a million times better."

"A Fairy Tail mage doesn't go around whoring themselves along with other girls." Speaking of which, he noticed that her stamp was not showing. Did she cover it up with makeup? He didn't have much time to dwell on that thought as Lucille suddenly tackled him, before raising a fist and punching him in the face. The sharp sting was made worse by the heightened sensations still wracking his body.

"You can say all you want about me," Lucille hissed from where she was now straddling his waist. "But if I ever hear you say anything about any one of those girls outside again, I'll make sure that Cerberus rips your throat out in your sleep."

Laxus was shocked at the level of rage that he felt from the woman.

"A guy like you who was most likely fed from a decent sized spoon wouldn't understand," Lucille spat. "To those girls out there, this club is all they have. It was either this, or the streets, and trust me-" Lucille's hands balled into fists. "-this is much better than begging on the streets."

"They could get normal jobs," Laxus said ignorantly.

Lucille laughed at this man's naivety. "And who from the bright side of the city do you think would hire runaway, dirty, homeless girls like us?

Laxus cringed when he heard her use the word us, when she associated herself with the rest of the girls outside.

"Some of those girls are raising families, going to school, just trying to survive day by day. And who was here to help them get by? Mama's. Who was here to get them up off the street, cleaned and fed? Mama's. Who was here to make sure that we don't get beaten and raped by our clients each and every night?! Mama's!"

Laxus was stunned into silence.

"And you know what? Those girls out there are even braver than me, because unlike me they have to use their real bodies for this job." Lucille cried out. "I already took the cheap way out. There's a reason why I take all the sleazebags on as clients." If she could prevent one of those girls out there from having to deal with one of them, then she's already done her job.

"…" Laxus honestly didn't know what to say. He'd never thought it that way.

Lucille glared at Laxus. "What? Ran out of insults?" He turned his face away in defeat. Lucille took those few moments to calm herself down, breathing deeply in and out. "Good."

Lucille then reached over to the night stand, opened the top drawer and amongst the wide array of items inside, she pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

Laxus eyes bulged. "What the hell do you think you're doing with that?!" He tried to struggle, but given his still weakened state and the fact that she was still sitting on him, he couldn't do anything as she handcuffed his hands together and attached them to the headboard.

"Can't have you interfering with business," Lucille said calmly. "Now sit there like a good boy and shut up."

Laxus gave her a glare, but it soon turned into a smirk when he caught her staring down at his body. His shirt was still pushed up, exposing his entire torso. "You're drooling, Princess."

Lucille shot him a glare, before reaching into the drawer again and-

"You're kidding me!" Laxus roared, before immediately shutting his mouth. In Lucy's hand was a…ball gag.

"Well, I told you to shut up, which you proceeded to ignore, so…" Lucille gave him a dark smile. "Open up."

Laxus growled through gritted teeth and attempted to buck the girl off of him, but that only sent her sliding further down his torso…and straight onto his crotch. It didn't escape his notice that her dress had already slid up so that the only barriers between them were her underwear and his. His loud groan was enough for Lucille to push the ball gag into his mouth before securing it down.

"Good boy," Lucille smirked, ignoring his muffled protests as she turned towards the unconscious customer still lying on the other side of the bed. "Now to take care of this guy." She sighed to herself. If she called Eden out she had a feeling she'd try to kill Laxus so…

Again, the black gate with rose vines appeared in her vision as she snapped the cuffs on her wrists together.

Laxus' eyes widened when he scented her blood, but he was helpless to stop her.

"Open! Demon Gate of the Seductress!...Delilah!"

In a dark puff of smoke, a tall demon with a woman's figure and large breasts appeared. Similar to her sister she had dark scales that covered her entire body, a long pointed tail and crimson red eyes with black slitted pupils. However instead of bright blonde, the demon had long silky black hair that rested just above her waist and longer, slightly curled horns protruding from her head.

"Oh, good," Delilah's voice was silky smooth, a contrast from Eden's brighter tone. "You've already got him ready for me. Just how I like them." She climbed onto the bed behind Lucille and wrapped her arms around the blonde, grabbing the blonde's breasts in the process. She nipped at Lucille's neck. "I've missed you, Ojou."

Lucille rolled her eyes at Delilah's antics. Ever the dramatic one. "You know your powers don't work on me." As their contractor, none of her demons' powers had an effect on her. Unless she wanted them to.

"Of course," Delilah smiled against her neck, revealing sharp fangs. "But your man over there is enjoying the show." Laxus had already looked away and closed his eyes, but yes he did catch the show. He was never one to strike down girl on girl action.

Lucille snorted. She already knew that he enjoyed the show. She was sitting on top of his crotch after all. "He's not my man. And I didn't call you out for him. I need you to take care of _him._ " Lucille gestured towards the unconscious man on the other side of the bed.

Delilah's face scrunched in disgust. "Eden's leftovers?" But she sighed dramatically when Lucille shot her a look. "Fine…but I want a reward afterwards." Delilah crawled across the bed towards the man.

Laxus growled through the gag and tried to summon his lightning to stop the succubus, but his eyes widened when it didn't show. What was going on? He thought he already recovered that much-

The handcuffs.

Delilah smirked as she started to suck out the sexual energy from the unconscious man. Her master didn't know this, but those handcuffs she had gifted her with, suppressed magic. Just in case her master came across someone she couldn't quite handle.

Laxus tried to pull on the cuffs with pure strength, but froze when he felt pressure against his cock and waves of heat racing up his spine. He groaned through the gag. She was grinding on him?!

Lucille didn't quite prefer this method, as it was starting to affect her as well, but she needed to distract the mage from escaping and interfering with Delilah. "You don't want to interrupt Delilah when she's feeding. She's not as…gentle as Eden." Delilah had a wolfish grin on her face as her master described her to a T. "Delilah's more of a specialist. She likes to introduce her customers to the world of pain."

Laxus only glared up at her, but he turned back to watch as the succubus continued to suck out the man's sexual energy. She was going to kill him. He just knew it. He just-

His eyes widened when Delilah stopped. He listened to the man's heart, noting its regular, healthy heartbeat. The man was…fine. The demon didn't kill him…

Laxus didn't exactly know what to think about that.

When Delilah was finished, she sent the satisfied customer out the door with a slap on the ass. Turning around, she smiled when the dragon slayer turned away from her when she attempted to gaze into his eyes. At least this one wasn't an idiot. She climbed back onto the bed behind Lucille. "I want my reward now, Ojou."

Lucille sighed. "Just not on the sheets. They're white."

Delilah pouted against her neck, her fangs already protruding. "What a shame…"

Lucille winced slightly when Delilah's fangs sunk into her neck. Her neck was more sensitive than her wrists, but Delilah never liked taking her blood from there. Like she mentioned before, Delilah was more one for inflicting pain. Even if it was towards her master. As she waited, Lucille's eyes caught the wide stormy blue ones of the lightning mage below her.

"Can't take the sight of blood?" Lucille raised her brow. Another glare. "Don't worry, with this I can't die." She gestured towards the crimson scar on her right chest. Laxus' eyes followed just as a small trail of blood trickled down from her neck.

"Oops," Delilah said just as she brought her head down and licked at the trail of blood. A small amount disappeared underneath Lucille's dress and without hesitation, Delilah pulled down that section of her dress, and licked up her naked breast, capturing the small amount of blood that tried to run away.

"Delilah!" Lucille exclaimed, before immediately grabbing hold of her dress and pulling it back up, but not without a small blush on her face. She immediately turned to glare at Laxus when she felt a certain part of his body twitch in response. "Pervert."

Laxus wasn't going to deny his enjoyment for the special show he just got. Demon or not, it was pretty damn hot.

Suddenly there was a knock on her door. Lucille's eyes widened. Who could that be? No one ever disturbed her when she was working…

"Eden?" Kitty's voice drifted in through the door. "Are you in there?"

Lucille panicked. She checked Laxus' binds before getting off of him and walking swiftly towards the door, grabbing a silk robe and covering herself up, including Delilah's bite mark. She opened her door just slightly, seeing the nervous blonde on the other side.

"What's wrong Kitty?"

"U-Umm," Kitty said nervously. "Have you seen a really good looking blonde man come this way?"

"Oh, Kitty, I'm sorry," Lucille gave her a sympathetic look. The girls always fell for the handsome ones…

From Eden's look, Kitty figured out what had happened. "Oh, it's okay-" She suddenly heard muffled shouting. Kitty blushed bright red. "O-Oh! He's into _that_ …well you can have him then. I'm no good with stuff like that."

Lucille laughed, realizing what Kitty thought was happening. "Alright then, I'll trade you one of my better looking clients for this one okay?"

Kitty's eyes lit up. "Okay! I'll leave you to it then!" Kitty then turned around and skipped down the hallway.

Lucille sighed.

Meanwhile, after Laxus had tried to make noise in order to attract attention, Delilah immediately slammed him down onto the bed. Laxus closed his eyes in defense, but he felt her breath against his ear.

"I can taste from her blood that she doesn't want your death, but if you ever try to hurt my master or one of my sisters again, I'll rip out your cock. And I'll make sure you're enjoying every single moment of it." Delilah hissed into his ear.

Laxus stiffened. Even he had to be fearful of something like that. Especially when it was directed towards his junk.

"That's enough Delilah," Lucille said after she closed the door and walked back towards the bed. "Go back, I'll deal with this."

"Ojou," Delilah protested. "At least let me have some fun with this one."

Lucille laughed. "I don't think he can handle you. Don't worry I'll be fine. Tell Eden to rest up okay?" Delilah rolled her eyes at her master's too trusting nature but obeyed, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Lucille sighed as she sat next to Laxus on the bed. "Now what do I do with you?" She reached over and pulled off the gag, keeping the handcuffs on. She expected the mage to dive into a rage filled shouting match, but surprisingly he was quite calm.

Laxus breathed slowly. He still didn't know what to think about all of this. "You don't kill them."

Lucille shook her head. "That would defeat the whole purpose don't you think? I need repeat customers."

For some reason, Laxus expected that response over some holy comment on how killing people was not her style, because he knew exactly what she was capable of. But he did find himself asking something else that he was curious about. "How long have you done this for?"

Lucille flinched at his question, before laughing. "I don't think you'd want to know."

"How long."

Lucille blinked slowly before she answered. "I only started this up again last night, but you're probably not asking about that are you?" She sighed when she saw his waiting face. "Twelve. I started 'real work' when I was twelve."

"What the hell?! Twelve?" Laxus roared, the handcuffs clinked as they moved.

"So how do you see me now?" Lucille asked sarcastically, her arms spread wide. "Dirty? Disgraceful? Don't hold back, I've been called much worse."

But Laxus didn't call her anything, instead he asked her something else. "How did that old woman let you work at that age?" It angered him that a girl, regardless of whether it was the one in front of him or the ones outside could start something like this at an age like that.

"Young right? But, some of these men crave for girls that age," Lucille sneered in disgust. "If it wasn't for Eden, I actually would've serviced them. I was young and only thought about how to survive. But, thankfully, Mama didn't let me until I showed her what Eden could do. At first I thought Mama would throw me out, call me a monster, but she was…understanding. After that she let me work. I didn't do this for long, but I earned a name for myself pretty fast. I didn't stop until I started getting missions."

Laxus honestly didn't know whether he'd rather have her doing those missions or doing...this. But, having gathered the answers to his questions, he figured it was time to end the night. Her magic had already worn off.

Lucille yelped in shock when Laxus broke himself free from the handcuffs before grabbing her and pinning her to the bed. She looked up at him in slight fear. "How did you-?"

"Don't estimate the strength of a dragon slayer, Princess," Laxus whispered into her ear. He smirked at her slight shiver as well as the scent of arousal coming from the woman. Guess he wasn't the only one affected tonight. "Now I'm going to give you two options. Either I haul you through that door over my shoulders, or you walk out civilly yourself."

Lucille snarled. "You didn't get a single thing I said!"

"Oh I did, trust me," Laxus said as he stared into her eyes. "But like I said, there are other ways." No one deserved to have to do this.

Lucille didn't understand. There was no other way. It was either this or starve and she chose this. She needed to survive. But she knew she wasn't going to be able to if she kept fighting against him tonight. Letting out a huge sigh, Lucille gave in. She'll fight this battle another day.

"Fine. I'm not in the mood anymore for working anyways."

Laxus smirked when gave in and slowly got off the woman. He waited for her to get changed, watching as she threw on a light scarf to hide the bite wound. He followed her as she walked out into the lounge. The girls gave them inquisitive looks as they passed, wondering why Eden was leaving so early in night. Mama threw her a raised brow as Lucille slapped down half the jewel notes she earned that night.

"Keep it," Mama said. "I'm assuming this one kept you bothered?" She pointed towards Laxus with her fan.

"Next time you see him, make sure security keeps him out," Lucille said while sending Laxus a glare. He only snarled back at her and urged her to keep moving. Mama chuckled at the interaction.

As they walked out of the club, Laxus heard the older woman's softer voice. "I knew you were special. Keep an eye on her will you?"

Laxus snorted. That was already proving harder than he thought.

After they left the club, they slowly walked back through the city, passing across the tracks and towards the guild. Lucy sighed as she stared at Laxus beside her. A curious thought suddenly passed through her mind.

"Who did you see?" Lucy asked, as she continued to walk.

"What?" Laxus responded, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Weren't you paying attention in class? A succubus has the ability to make its prey envision its most current physical desire," Lucille explained. "So, who did you see?"

Laxus stumbled slightly, before gathering his composure. Like hell he was gonna tell her that he saw well…her. "J-Just some random brunette I saw last night."

Lucy snorted. "Well that's boring."

Laxus glared back at her, but said nothing else as they continued to walk.

* * *

The apartment was dark when the pair entered, creeping in through the window. Landing on top of the bed with a soft oomph, the two glanced around.

A soft whisper could be heard. "Lucy…"

But there was no answer.

"Natsu…I don't think Lucy's home," Happy said with a frown. He flew towards the light switch and flicked them, but nothing turned on. That's odd.

"Ya…where is she?" Natsu wondered as he ventured further into the apartment. The last time he'd been here he'd only seen the bedroom. He walked into the dark kitchen, but Lucy wasn't there either. A smirk appeared on his face as he thought of an idea. "Hey Happy…since Lucy's not home, let's grab something to eat while we're here."

"Aye!"

The pair started scrounging around Lucy's fridge and cupboards, but they quickly came to a depressing realization.

"Hey Natsu…" Happy said, his voice betraying his sadness. "Lucy doesn't have any money does she…" That would explain the lack of electricity and the lack of…food.

"No Happy…she doesn't," Natsu admitted, his stomach dropping. He couldn't believe the fact that he didn't notice this during the entire week.

"Is this why she stuffs her face during lunch?"

"Ya probably…" Natsu frowned.

Happy's wings drooped. "We aren't very good friends are we?"

Natsu sighed. "No Happy…we're not."

The pair stood there in silence for a moment, the magnitude of their failure hitting them like bricks.

"Hey Happy…Let's take Lucy out on a mission tomorrow."

"Aye…"

The pair left Lucy's apartment through the window again and quickly headed towards the guild. They picked out a mission they thought was suitable and quickly made it back to Lucy's place, excited to tell her about their plans for the next day. But to their disappointment, Lucy still hadn't returned by the time they had broken in again, so they opted to wait for her while sitting on her bed. But after hours of waiting, they eventually fell asleep…

* * *

"Don't run off again," Laxus demanded, as they reached Lucy's apartment. Lucy sent him a glare before heading inside. Laxus sighed as she slammed the door shut. What a hell of a night. He had learned another fact about the blonde tonight and yet he came no closer to figuring her out. He wanted to condemn her for what she was doing…but for some odd reason, he couldn't. It just made him want to know more. Growling in frustration, Laxus left, heading for his own home.

Lucy exhaled as she walked into her apartment, scowling as she recalled Laxus' command. As if she'd let him order her around like that. Her hand lifted towards the lights, but paused as she remembered that she hadn't yet paid for electricity. She'll deal with that tomorrow, having finally obtained the funds to do so.

Heading into her bedroom, Lucy didn't notice the big lump underneath her blankets as she made her way into the bathroom. She quickly took a shower just to get rid of the grime from the city. Emerging in a warm white towel, she glanced into the mirror, her fingers touching the wound on her neck. It amazed her that it had already closed up.

Yawning, Lucy exited her bathroom and slid into her sheets after putting on pajamas, not noticing the bodies next to her as she passed out immediately, exhausted from the night's events.

* * *

Later that night, Lucy found herself tossing and turning.

Not again. Another nightmare.

This time, she found herself slowly sinking into the earth. Trapped. Panicking, she clawed at the dirt around her, but was unable to escape.

 _Ojou-sama._

What?

 _I deem you worthy. I'll pledge to you my servitude._

Who are you?

 _My name is..._

Suddenly a towering gate rose up from beneath the earth.

 _Gaia._

* * *

 ** _A/N: I really want to thank all of you who have been reviewing with nice comments. After receiving a not so nice PM the other day, "begging" me to "stay away" from writing Nalu because "my kind (apparently 'Lalu writers'? wtf?) is unable to appreciate nor understand their moments and/or bond" and "_** ** _always enjoy the discarding/downgrading of their potential", even though I've already sent this person back paragraphs in response, I just wanted to say, IF there is anyone else out there (which I hope not) that happens to think the same thing, that I don't enjoy doing that. So please give me evidence as to why you think that I do, instead of just giving me straight up hate... (apologies for the run-on sentence)_**

 ** _I also wanted to make a statement:_**

 ** _This fanfic is going to be quite the LONG ride, and this is still the beginning so please be patient! This story will be full of ups and downs for my Lucy, who can't escape the darkness that is pulling her back into the world she has tried to escape. It will probably be full of indecision because I'm going to force Lucy to chose between the one who understands her darkness, and the one who struggles to pull her out of it. This isn't going to be a straight line romance so those who are looking for that beware. I'm also warning now that this story will probably get a little darker as I progress._**

 ** _In summary, please try not to write this story off before it actually gets rolling! Thanks for bearing with my rant._**

 ** _Until the next chapter!_**


	12. Third Demon Gate of the Titan

**Chapter 12**

Lucy yawned as she woke up to the morning sun, stretching her arms out next to her until she noticed an odd weight against her chest. One of her hands immediately reached underneath her pillow for her knife, but something about this scenario felt oddly familiar...

"Mmm…soft, squishy pillow…" The creature on her chest decided to mumble and snuggle further into her chest. Lucy looked down with wide eyes, only to get a mouth full of pink hair that had emerged from underneath the sheets. Pink hair…

The hand that was not currently holding her knife trembled in a fist as her eye twitched in annoyance.

"Natsu…" Lucy growled.

A swift kick and a loud yelp later and Natsu was currently lying defeated on Lucy's floor.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted. "What did I say about coming in here like that?" Her other hand let go of the knife, coming back out from underneath the pillow.

Natsu groaned. One moment he was having a nice dream on top of a cloud of squishy pillows and the next he found himself lying on the floor. "But Lucy…we wanted to tell you something, but you weren't home…then the bed seemed so comfy so we kinda fell asleep…" His vision was still groggy from sleep, but he could easily make up Lucy's scowl as she hovered over him from the bed. At least this time he didn't wake up with a knife to his throat. He counted that as a step forward.

"What did you want to tell me that was so important?" Lucy asked through gritted teeth. She's had it up to the roof with meddling dragon slayers lately.

"Aye!" Happy exclaimed as he wiggled out from underneath the sheets next to Lucy. Thankfully he had avoided the Lucy kick and was still safe on her bed. "We're going on a mission today!"

"A…mission?" Lucy rolled the words slowly over her tongue. She had heard the word spoken at Fairy Tail over the past week, but she was always under the assumption that they didn't quite delve into…those kinds of things.

"Yep!" Natsu confirmed with a grin. "As part of a mage guild, we take on people's job requests or missions in exchange for jewels. It's how we mages make money."

"I see…" Lucy said slowly. That was no different than what she did. "So what 'mission' are we doing? Armed robbery? Bombing? Assassination request?" The first two wasn't exactly her forte but she was willing to try new things.

Natsu and Happy's faces paled when they realized how serious Lucy actually was with her question. Natsu was quickly reminded of where Lucy had come from and what sorts of business they must have done. His eyes lowered somberly. Did Lucy do those kinds of things too?

Lucy immediately realized that she had said too much and tried to backtrack. "J-Just joking!" She plastered on her smile again, hoping they would believe her.

But Natsu had immediately seen through it. He didn't like it when Lucy smiled like that, it obviously made her uncomfortable to do so and he didn't like the idea of her being uncomfortable around him. But he just didn't know how to react. He realized that Lucy had probably done things in her past that he would have deemed terrible, but ever since he brought her here, he was sure that she had changed. Even if it was just slightly. He knew she was trying and that was all that he could ask for. But he wanted to continue to help her change, to show her another way.

That's right. He could show her a different way to do things.

Lucy looked at him with questioning eyes, waiting for the moment his lips would twist into disgust upon realizing that she had done those things. To make it worse, she didn't even think that she was in the wrong when she had done them. To her, they all deserved it.

But surprisingly that look didn't come.

"Lucy, it's okay," Natsu said with a sad smile. "You don't have to lie to me. I want to see the real Lucy." He had overheard her conversation with Cana in the cafeteria the other day. It hadn't occurred to him that Lucy was faking her smiles until then and it upset him that she had to do so. He wanted her to be her whenever she was around him.

"You don't want to see the real me Natsu…" Lucy looked at him sadly, her hands gripping into the sheets.

"Yes I do," Natsu said adamantly. "I don't care what you say or do around me. Just be Lucy okay?"

"If you say so…" Lucy said hesitantly. She was slightly taken aback at how…accepting he was. Natsu was always surprising her in one way or another, it was…unsettling.

"Alright!" Natsu exclaimed as he stood up animatedly from the floor. "Well first things first. Fairy Tail is not like the guild you came from. Fairy Tail doesn't do those kinds of missions. And since you're a mage of Fairy Tail now, you follow our rules okay?" He held out his hand to her, just like he had done in the middle of that abandoned park on that fateful night. "Let me show you what we do okay?" He will show her that she didn't need to live a life of killing.

Lucy smiled, before taking his hand. "Aye sir…"

Natsu gave her a wide toothy grin before leading her towards the window. "Let's go!"

* * *

The request that Natsu and Happy grabbed the night before turned out to be the retrieval of a stolen jeweled necklace. Lucy held the flyer in her hands as they walked away from their client's humble abode, staring at the piece of paper. Two hundred thousand jewels for the return of their family heirloom.

"I've never returned someone's stolen property before," Lucy mused as she waved the flyer around. "It's a new concept."

"Well it can't hurt to try something new," Natsu grinned with his arms behind his head.

"Aye!" Happy exclaimed with a smile.

Lucy smiled to herself as they headed out. "Ya."

To Lucy's dismay, Natsu had insisted that they walked everywhere, despite the fact that it would've taken only fifteen minutes had they hailed a taxi. Had she known she would've worn better boots, and brought a jacket. Her strapless crop top wasn't doing her any favours in the windier fall weather. At least she had the sense to wear longer pants. Happy said that they didn't like transportation, _especially_ mundane transportation. Lucy didn't exactly know what he meant by that. A taxi was a taxi…

They arrived at the home of the suspected thief on the edge of the city within an hour of walking. Looking up at the large estate, Lucy's only expression was a scowl, representative of how much she hated people like this. It wouldn't surprise her if the man who lived inside the large multimillion dollar mansion also danced with the devils. She wondered how much debt this one was in…

"Lucy? Are you alright?" Natsu asked, catching the dark look in Lucy's eye.

Lucy snapped out of her thoughts. "Ya. I'm fine."

"Yosh! Let's go then!" Natsu exclaimed. Lucy nodded, before following Natsu and Happy around the side of the mansion. As a force of habit, Lucy found herself slipping back into calm concentration, a disposition she'd have whenever she went on her own missions. Once they got around, the trio stood underneath a large stained glass window on the outer edge of the building. Lucy had sent Naberius up above the mansion for surveillance. This was the one blind spot that currently lacked appropriate security. At least from the outside.

"We're sneaking in?" Lucy guessed as she mentally analyzed the window.

"Yep!" Natsu said. "Like ninjas!"

"What." Lucy's voice was flat. She turned to her left and flinched when she saw Natsu's signature scarf wrapped around his head. She was displeased. How could Natsu be playing around at a time like this?

"Oh come on Lucy, don't be so serious!" Natsu joked.

"Aye!" Happy agreed. "It's more fun this way!"

Fun? When were missions supposed to be fun? Lucy wondered about that as they climbed up onto the tall maple tree next to the window. Lucy was about sneak forward on the long tree branch in order to open the window, when suddenly Natsu's fist lit up on fire.

"Fire Dragon's Iron-"

Lucy immediately grabbed hold of Natsu's arm before he could throw his fist through the window.

"What are you doing?!" Lucy hissed. Even though there were no guards in this area, she didn't want to risk discovery simply through the sound of breaking glass.

"Sneaking in," Natsu answered as if it was obvious.

"What part of smashing through a window is sneaking in?!" Lucy stressed. Stealth having been a main component of all her missions, she had a pretty good grasp on what was _not_ considered such. Which was why she was currently dressed all in black, a contrast to Natsu's crimson red shirt.

"Ah…Lucy…Natsu doesn't really do well with keeping quiet," Happy admitted sheepishly. Usually they just barged in regardless and dealt with the consequences that way.

"Well if this is supposed to be my first mission, then we're doing this my way," Lucy insisted, her voice indicating that there were no room for protests.

Natsu pouted. "Fine…"

Having had her concentration ruined, Lucy sighed, turning back towards the window. She crawled along the tree branch till she reached the windowsill. Grabbing her knife from its holster around her leg, she slowly dragged it along the cracks in the window, before finding the lock. Applying just the right amount of pressure on the lock, she busted it, the window opening freely immediately after that.

"Wow, Lucy," Happy said. "You're really good at this."

"It's not my first time," Lucy admitted, as she holstered her knife. Behind her, Natsu frowned, but he didn't comment. The pair snuck inside the mansion through the open window, leaving Happy outside for surveillance, and found themselves in a large library. It reminded Lucy of the one she used to frequent back at Tartaros. Dark and soulless.

"What was stolen again?" Lucy asked as she perused the bookshelves. She started staring up at the ceilings…

"A ruby necklace," Natsu said. "I don't think it'd be-" He had the breath knocked out of him when Lucy suddenly grabbed him and pushed him flat against the wall of the library. He felt her body press against him as she stared at the ceiling.

"Lucy what are you doing?" Natsu asked, slightly stunned. With her this close, he could smell the gentle scent of strawberries.

"Be careful where you're walking," Lucy warned, pointing up. Natsu looked up and saw a small semi-circle dome attached to the ceiling.

"What is that?" Natsu asked.

Lucy gave him a look that made him feel kind of dumb for asking that question. "It's a surveillance camera. Have you never seen one?" Granted it looked to be one of the more advanced models she's seen, but she wasn't surprised given the amount of money the owner of this mansion seemed to have.

"Woah…I guess its kinda like the lacrima cameras we have then?" Natsu supposed. Sometimes he found that mundanes owned such interesting things. Though nothing could compare to the wonders of magic.

Lucy didn't have much experience with a lacrima camera so she couldn't comment on that. "Just keep out of its line of sight okay?" Lucy slowly moved away from Natsu, allowing him to step around her.

Natsu nodded. The pair continued to search around the library, avoiding the line of sight of the security cameras, but they came to the conclusion that the necklace wasn't in this room.

"Let's search outside," Natsu suggested. Lucy nodded before following him slowly out the double doors that led from the library out into the main hallway. They picked a direction and started walking, but it wasn't long until it was Natsu's turn to grab Lucy by the wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked. She turned to face him and was surprised by the serious, determined look upon Natsu's face.

"Someone's coming," Natsu answered, his eyes narrowing. The pair stared down the hallway as they heard heavy footsteps heading their way. Lucy tensed, her hands moving towards the knives attached at her thighs. Moments later, a short, stout man appeared, flanked by two bodyguards.

"Ho…I thought I heard intruders in my library," the man sneered, twiddling his out-dated moustache before adjusting his obvious toupee. "Now may I ask why you decided to break into my lovely home?"

Lucy cursed to herself. She should've known that the surveillance cameras captured sound as well.

"Who are you?" Natsu asked, though it was plain to see by the man's fancy attire that he was probably the owner of the estate.

"You little cockroaches won't live to remember it, but the name's Everlue and this is my mansion you're currently tracking mud into." The look the man gave them, made it seem akin to the way that a man glances at a mere insect.

Lucy glared at the man and snarled when she caught the obnoxious ruby necklace draped around his neck. It gleamed brightly even though the hallway was dim.

"Natsu-"

"Ah, I see it," Natsu smirked. "At least now we don't have to search for it."

"Ah! Were you looking for this?" The man gave them a creepy smile as he held up the necklace. "It's a shame I wasn't planning on letting go of this any time soon."

Lucy smiled darkly. "Well then I guess we'll just have to take it from you." Now this she was used to.

"Not so fast," Everlue pointed out. "I introduce to you the Vanish Brothers." He gestured towards his two bodyguards. One of which was tall and had large puffy black hair while the other was shorter with hair fashioned in a long braid. Lucy's eyes widened. Now that she's had some practice, she's starting to be able to detect a person's magic signature. The pair across from them definitely weren't their run of the mill bodyguards. And from what she could tell, Everlue wasn't mundane either. They had to be careful.

"Finally…we get to do some real work," the one taller Vanish Brother smiled with a dark look in his eyes. Lucy narrowed her eyes, recognizing that type of gaze, since she was quite familiar with it.

They had the eyes of a killer.

"Vanish Brothers of the Southern Wolves," the shorter one announced. "Mercenary guild." That perked Lucy's interest. She's heard of them before. They were a subsidiary of Tartaros…

Everlue chose that moment to start running away.

Natsu growled, his fits lighting up. "Lucy, you take care of the necklace, I'll handle these two."

Lucy nodded, before whistling for Naberius. The midnight raven burst in through the glass window of the hallway and picked her up by the shoulders, speeding above the pair of mercenaries in their way.

"Why you!" The Vanish Brother didn't get the opportunity to stop Lucy as Natsu chose that moment to make the first move.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

* * *

Lucy sighed in frustration as she navigated through the many hallways of the mansion. She had lost sight of Everlue for some reason as soon as she started her pursuit. She needed help. Thankfully the man left behind his sweaty toupee after he ran.

"Open! Demon Gate of the Hell Hound! Cerberus!"

The large full-sized three-headed hell hound appeared in a cloud of dark smoke, growling.

"Cerberus," Lucy handed the hell hound the man's disgusting toupee, before sending Naberius back to the underworld. She needed to be careful of how much magic she was using. Thankfully, Cerberus caught onto the man's scent and started to run towards it. Lucy followed, weaving through multiple more hallways until they burst out into the gardens behind the mansion. At that moment, a blue ball of fur barreled into her.

"L-Lucy! Are you okay?!" Happy cried as he hugged her. "I heard explosions!"

"I'm fine," Lucy replied.

"W-Who is that?" Happy asked as he turned towards the man in the gardens. He was slightly taken aback by Lucy's cold tone just now. Was she okay?

"Our target." Lucy's eyes narrowed. Everlue must have been a confident man if he was willing to stand out in the middle of the gardens like that. He must have been waiting for her.

Everlue's back was facing them, once again highlighting his arrogance. "You're a mage of Fairy Tail, right?"

"What about it?" Lucy snarled, her hands reaching towards her knives. He must have seen the guild mark on her chest.

"Well, I've never killed one of them before," Everlue voice sounding as slimy as all the other greedy rich men that Lucy has killed.

"But I've killed plenty of people like you," Lucy replied with a dark smile. All's fair if the other one is aiming to kill too right? Natsu can't blame her for this one…

Beside her, Cerberus growled, his fangs bared and ready for battle.

Happy backed up, a little afraid of the Lucy in front of him. It was like she was an entirely different person…

Cerberus' growl caught Everlue's attention, since he turned around with wide eyes. "W-What is that?"

Lucy's eyes darkened, her mind returning to the state of killer concentration that she had lost when she was with Natsu. "Your worst nightmare." Cerberus burst forward with growl, leaping towards the man. But inches away from making contact, the man suddenly disappeared…burrowing into the ground…

"What the-" Lucy breathed, unprepared for this disappearance, and neither was Cerberus. He roared out in pain after Everlue burst out of the ground, striking the hell-hound from underneath. Cerberus tumbled along the grass but dug his claws into the earth to stop himself.

"Sniff him out Cerberus," Lucy commanded. "Happy get back." Cerberus nodded before his heads went to work, but he wasn't fast enough as once again, Everlue struck. This time he went straight for Lucy instead. She cried out in pain as she was hit.

"Lucy!" Happy cried.

"I'm fine, Happy," Lucy grunted as she got back to her feet. "Stay back."

Happy flew off to the side and watched with worried eyes.

This wasn't working. Lucy breathed heavily as she tried to figure out what to do. Cerberus continued to have trouble as Everlue disappeared much too fast for him to do anything about it. It was like a gigantic version of a whack-a-mole…and the mole was winning.

"I need to get him out of the ground…" Lucy had an idea. Leviathan. She'd be able to flush him out. But suddenly a sharp pain shot through her brain, bringing her down to her knees, and another voice appeared inside her head.

 _Ojou-sama…as the commander of the earth, let me aid you._

Again?

 _Summon me…_

H-How?

 _You know how…Ojou-sama._

Everlue was cackling as he once again burrowed out of the ground, striking Cerberus. "What's wrong little lady? I've barely attacked you and you're already crying out in pain? How pathetic!"

Lucy gritted her teeth as she sat back on her knees. Closing her eyes, she pushed down hard on her wrist cuffs, feeling the sharp sting as they dug into her skin. She held her arms out crossed in front of her.

Everlue stood frozen from his spot in the ground as he caught sight of the girl's eyes as they opened, glazed over like pools of onyx black. That wasn't normal…

All Lucy could see in front of her was a towering gate made of earth and stone, vines curling around its bars. Feeling her blood drain towards her palms, she pushed hard, surprised when the pressure was much less than she was used to experiencing.

Opening her mouth, she cried out the words that had etched itself in the forefront of her mind.

"Open! Third Demon Gate of the Titan! Gaia!"

The earth trembled and quaked as the ground before her split open. Lucy's eyes widened as a giant rose up from earth and towered two storeys high like a female warrior, made of earth and stone. Long vines trailed up along parts of her body. When she turned towards her, Lucy caught the titan's earthy onyx eyes.

Gaia nodded towards her, bits of dirt falling from her body as she did so. "You have grown stronger, Ojou-sama. I can feel it."

Lucy was surprised. This one felt like it lacked the bloodlust of her last. But of course, looks can be deceiving.

"Woah!" Happy exclaimed, his hands over his mouth as he stared at the titan. Lucy's new friend was gigantic!

Everlue paled. "W-What is that thing?!"

Lucy smiled at the change in attitude from the pudgy man. They were always like this. King of the world in one moment, and a frightened little rat in the next.

"Ojou-sama, your wish is my command."

Lucy looked up towards her new demon. "No need to be so formal, Gaia,"

"It is in my nature to be so, Ojou-sama," Gaia replied. Her voice was almost motherly in nature. "I assume this man is the subject of your troubles?"

"Ah," Lucy glared at Everlue who was already shuffling backwards.

"Very well, then," Gaia looked down at the human in front of her. "As a fellow wielder of the earth, it will bring me joy to bury you within it." Scratch that. Turns out this one also had a knack for killing. Not that Lucy minded in this particular moment.

Everlue sneered, despite his growing fear. "You won't kill me that easily. My earth magic is strong." He dug back into the earth and was prepared to strike for the girl again. Having realized that she was the summoner, killing her would end all of his troubles. But as he travelled through the earth, he noticed the ground closing up on him, becoming as hard as rocks, making it neigh impossible to dig through. He panicked as all the holes he had previously dug up started to disappear. He needed to get out of the ground before he ran out of air. Everlue's head burst out of the very last hole left standing, but he wasn't fast enough to get out, as the earth closed around him, trapping his body inside. The dirt continued to fill the hole, until it was about to cover his head-

"Gaia, that's enough," Lucy commanded, halting the demon's actions. She walked up to the shaking man, sweat dripping down his forehead as his fear permeated into the air. It was a common occurrence for her, something she had seen many a time before. As she studied him with a sneer, she made an unconscious note as to how weak this man was compared to the lightning dragon slayer that she had battled previously.

"Is something wrong, Ojou-sama?" Gaia turned towards her with a frown. "Is this man not in need of great punishment?"

"I need the necklace around his neck first," Lucy said coolly as she knelt to the ground in front of the man, who now currently only had his head visible above the ground. She held out the knife that was still in her hand.

"P-Please, you can have the necklace," Everlue pleaded, sweat continuing to drip down the side of his face. "D-Don't kill me!"

Lucy scoffed, quickly swiping the ruby necklace off the man's neck. "You know it always amazes me how quickly men like you change their attitudes." Her eyes followed the jewel as it dangled in front of her when she examined it.

"Shall I finish him off, Ojou-sama?" Gaia asked.

"No," Lucy replied, her voice cold and expressionless. "I'll do it myself."

Gaia gave her master a slight bow causing more dirt to fall to the ground. "As you wish."

"N-No! Please!" Everlue cried out.

Happy immediately flew over to Lucy's side. "Lucy, don't! This is not what Fairy Tail mages do!" They don't kill.

"Happy stay out of this," Lucy warned.

Suddenly Natsu's voice burst into the gardens. "Lucyyyyy!...Woah what happened to him? Woah! Who is this?!"

Lucy tsked as she turned to watch Natsu as he ran towards them. He looked a little roughed up, but nothing worse than that. "My new demon, Gaia." She frowned when she finally noticed her heavy breathing. She was beginning to feel the strain on her magic, though she was proud of herself for lasting this long. It was a record.

Gaia turned towards the human and would've considered him a threat to her new master, but her master's blood said otherwise. Still she glanced at him warily as he approached Lucy.

"Lucy did you get the necklace?"

Lucy nodded, before tossing Natsu the necklace. "Here."

"Awesome!" Natsu caught the necklace, before examining it in his hand.

Lucy took that moment to turn back to the man still stuck in the earth. Her knife glinted in the sun as she lowered it down to the man's neck.

Natsu's attention immediately returned to the blonde when he noticed what was happening. "Lucy. What are you doing?"

Lucy didn't turn to face him. "Finishing the job, what else?"

Natsu's eyes narrowed, his mood immediately changing. "The job's already finished. We have the necklace. Let that man go."

"He tried to kill us," Lucy stated, the ice returning to her voice.

"And now he can't," Natsu argued. He tried to move towards Lucy, but immediately his feet sunk into the earth. Damn it. He glared at the stone giant above him, but Gaia merely returned his gesture with a blank stare.

"If you silence an enemy, he won't be able to return and kill you later," Lucy said, emotionless. The knife moved an inch, drawing blood. Everlue's panicked cries now filled the garden.

"He won't, I promise!" Natsu shouted.

"How can you be so sure?" Lucy asked.

Natsu wasn't sure, he just knew that he didn't want to see Lucy kill. "I just am, okay?"

"I just can't accept that, Natsu," Lucy laughed painfully. "I'm a survivor. These kinds of people always come back with twice the vengeance."

"Lucy don't do this…" Natsu whispered, reaching his arm forward, but he was much too far to reach her.

"I have to!" Lucy screamed as she finally lost her composure, her eyes squeezing tight to shut out her fears. "Can't you see that I'm trying to save myself here?! What if he does return?! What then?!"

"Then I'll protect you!" Natsu shouted, breathing heavily. Lucy stood up and turned around to face him in shock.

"What?" Lucy breathed as she stared across the ruined gardens towards pink haired dragon slayer.

"I'll protect you," Natsu said certain, his eyes hard with determination.

Lucy gripped her knife even harder as she breathed out. "I don't need anyone to protect me, Natsu. I only need myself." Because she knew that out there, there was only herself.

"That's not true! You have your nakama now!" Natsu argued, trying to make her understand. "That's the whole point of joining a guild! To be able to share your burdens with others, to lean on each other and protect each other. Isn't that what you wanted? When you came with me to Fairy Tail?" It hurt him to see how scared Lucy was even though she was trying hard not to show it. It was obvious through her eyes. What has she been through to make her feel that she only had herself to rely on? Natsu's fists clenched. He was starting to hate the dark guild that she used to be a part of for putting her through all of her struggles. "I promise we'll protect you. Just put away the knife. Have mercy."

Lucy turned her face away, eyes downcast. "Natsu…I'm not a nice person. I don't know the meaning of mercy." It simply wasn't in her vocabulary. To show mercy from where she came from was to prove to your enemy that you were weak.

"It's okay Lucy," Natsu coaxed. "I'll teach you. Just look at me…Look at me." Lucy reluctantly turned back to face Natsu, their eyes meeting. Natsu could see the conflict in her eyes. "Put away the knife." He watched as she struggled at first, her hands shaking, but slowly she stuffed the knife back into her holster. "Now come here, one step at a time."

"I'm not a dog."

"Lucy."

"…Fine." Lucy took one painful step forward, but tried to look back-

"Lucy," Natsu's voice was commanding immediately forcing her attention back on him. It…confused her, enough to make her obey. She's never seen Natsu this determined before. Gritting her teeth, she continued to walk towards Natsu, one step at a time until she reached him.

He grabbed hold of her hands as soon as she became in reach so that she wouldn't run away. "Now that wasn't too hard was it?"

Lucy was about to protest, but her legs chose that moment to give way as her magic depleted and the dizziness returned. Thankfully Natsu managed to catch her.

"Ojou-sama, it's time for me to return," Gaia said. She had watched the entire exchange, unsure of what to think. She took note to continue to observe this new master, before she disappeared back into the earth. The bindings around Natsu's legs immediately loosed, setting him free. He jumped out of the sand with a grin.

"Let's go get our reward shall we?" Natsu said with a smile, elated that Lucy had listened to him. Behind him, Happy hovered in the air, beaming.

"O-Okay…" Lucy exhaled, slightly taken aback by their…happiness. She didn't know how Natsu was capable of bouncing back like that so soon after such an ordeal, but she was too exhausted to care. She wasn't able to walk, so she let Natsu carry her on his back. Even as they made their way from the gardens, amazingly, Lucy didn't look back – to very first man that she had let go.

When they walked around the mansion, Lucy couldn't help but notice something.

"Natsu…what did you do the half of the mansion?!"

"O-Oh. Nothing much…"

Nothing much turned out to be exploding half of the mansion, causing it to crumble to the ground. Upon hearing his explanation of his fight with the Vanish Brothers and how he literally blew them out of the mansion, for the first time that day, Lucy let out a genuine laugh. Natsu decided that he quite liked the sound of Lucy's laughter. It sounded much nicer than the forced one's she had been making.

The walk back was slow, but they weren't in a hurry despite the fact that the sun was starting to set. But that left Lucy with a lot of time to think about the events of that day.

"I'm sorry Natsu," Lucy frowned against his shoulder as the fire mage carried her on his back.

"For what?" Natsu cocked his head, try to face her.

"For being…like this," Lucy admitted, trying to encompass all that she did that afternoon within one word.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Natsu said as he turned back to face forward. "Lucy is Lucy. You'll still be our friend regardless."

Lucy sighed. "But…Lucy wants to change." _I'm trying_. Lucy…was supposed to be different. A new life. A new set of values. And she wanted that. Something about Natsu…about Fairy Tail had made her want to change. But it was just…so hard to let go of a life, a mentality that she had spent the last ten years building. And she wasn't even sure if she could.

"And I'm here to help okay?" Natsu offered. "But I need to be able to see the real Lucy first. No more hiding."

"Really…?" Why would Natsu want to see the real her? The real her was…cold and ruthless.

"Really."

Lucy smiled gently, though Natsu was unable to see it. "Then…Lucy speaking."

Natsu chuckled. "Yes Lucy?" Lucy could feel the vibrations of his laughter through his back.

"Let's just sell the necklace then," Lucy suggested with a sly tone. She reached forward to try and grab it from Happy, who was holding it, but he only flew away.

"No Lucy…" Happy argued with a laugh as she tried to reach for it again. "We need to bring it back to the client in order to get the reward. Then I can go get some fish!"

"But I'm sure it'll fetch a high price," Lucy tried to convince. "Even higher than the reward price. Then you'll be able to get even more fish!" She tried to hold back a laugh when she saw the brief moment of contemplation flash through Happy's eyes.

"No." Natsu said adamantly, but she could sense his smile.

"I know a guy," Lucy tried one last time.

"Lucy…"

"…Fine," Lucy sighed. "Being good sucks."

She made note of how light-hearted and bright Natsu's laughter was. So carefree. She wanted to be like that.

It took twice as long for them to get back to the guild, but as Lucy lay there with her arms around his neck, she couldn't help but notice how warm he was.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_ _Thank you guys so much for your encouraging comments and support for this story! It's a lot of fun writing this and there is so much more that I want share (I just need to get there). Updates may be a little more random in the next two months since I'm starting to study for a designation exam so bear with me, I'll try my best to keep up!_**

 ** _Inspiration for Gaia taken from her portrayal in God of War III._**

 ** _Until the next chapter!_**


	13. Fruits of Coercion

**Chapter 13**

"Where did you and Natsu go yesterday?"

Lucy sighed, turning slowly on her bar stool towards the lightning mage. "Why does it matter to you?"

Laxus' eyes narrowed as he studied the blonde. "Because your mission was unauthorized. Or rather _you're_ unauthorized to go on missions."

"Because you don't trust me?" Lucy spat.

"Don't think of yourself as that special Princess," Laxus scoffed as he leaned against the bar, facing her. "It's how things are done here. No one goes on missions until the Master okays them. It's for the mage's safety."

Lucy laughed sarcastically. "I don't need you to be concerned about my safety. I've survived just fine for the past eighteen years. I'm fine on my own."

"Out of the question," Laxus said adamantly. "The next time you're going on a mission; it will be with me." That way he can keep an eye on the woman.

"You're joking," Lucy said, agitated.

Laxus raised a brow as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Where on my face does it say that I'm joking?"

Lucy groaned. "What's wrong with going with Natsu? We were fine."

"You two destroyed half of an entire mansion," Laxus answered flatly. His grandfather's eyes had gone wide when he received the bill for damages.

Lucy scowled. "A man like that doesn't deserve a nice place like that."

"Either way, you and Natsu have been deemed too destructive," Laxus said.

Lucy sighed, exasperated. "Fine, I don't need missions to make money anyways." She just liked that they were more interesting than simply luring men in and stealing their cash.

Laxus' eyes darkened, his body leaning towards her. "You're not going back there."

"Who are you to stop me?" Lucy glared up at him as she leaned back, her back hitting against the bar top.

Laxus smirked. He'll take that as a challenge.

* * *

"Welcome to Mama's!" The voice of another cheery young girl rang through the dim lounge as yet another customer walked in. A customer that Lucille was unable to take due to the idiotic hulk of a man currently sitting next to her on the couch with his arm wrapped tight around her waist. Her body was pulled tight against him, leaving her chest to press against his.

"Is something wrong…Princess?" His voice was full of smug amusement.

Lucille turned towards her 'customer' with a tight smile, though on the inside she really wanted to gut the man. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down the rage inside of her. "Of course not…Master." If only she didn't have to keep up with appearances…

Laxus couldn't hold back his throaty laugh when he caught the death glare that she sent him. Provoking the blonde was quite the fun. "Master…that sounds quite delightful coming from you." If looks could kill he would probably be dead on the floor by now.

Lucille gritted her teeth. "Master…there are other girls here tonight that are interested in you. Perhaps another would be more suitable?" She gestured towards all the other girls that have been obviously checking out the handsome new member to the club.

Laxus pretended to contemplate that option before giving her another wolfish grin. "No. I think I'm perfectly fine here." He gave her waist another squeeze, amused at her sharp intake of breath.

"You've already scared away almost all my appointments tonight," Lucille hissed. "What more do you want?" The man had monopolized her for the entire evening, snarling at any of the customers she and Eden were supposed to take that night. It was frustrating seeing those wads of jewel notes run out the door. If she wasn't supposed to stay dolled up and pretty inside the lounge, she would've killed the man next to her already. Especially given how obnoxiously touchy he was being. Even now she could feel his fingers drawing circles on her hip.

"Well, you know what the solution to all this is," Laxus smirked as he saw her flinch. If he wasn't mistaken, he also caught the slight scent of her arousal. _So the princess was interested huh…_

Lucille snarled, but jolted when he suddenly groped her ass. She wanted so badly to slap his hand away, but that would alarm the other customers. So she gracefully grabbed his hand, moving it back up to somewhere 'safe', but not without digging her nails into his palm in the process. "What do you think you're doing?"

"It's your fault for wearing something like that Princess," Laxus chuckled as he gestured towards her slinky black number. And he wasn't the only one that noticed. His nose scrunched in disgust at the level of unwanted arousal he could smell in the lounge tonight. Especially from the men who were supposed to be her appointments.

"Well…" Lucille purred, attempting to take another approach. "We can take this to the room if you want." She pressed her body further into his, hoping he'd respond.

As much as he would be delighted to, Laxus knew she was baiting him. "As if I'd fall for that. I'd rather not have you ambush me with one of your demons, tie me up and toss me in a corner."

"Hmph," Lucille huffed, leaning back. "Didn't pin you for a smart one."

Laxus shot her a dirty look just as Lucille's last client for the night walked in. A nice looking man for once, probably only in his early thirties, which, compared her usuals, is quite young. The poor thing was apparently infatuated with Eden however. How unfortunate. At least it kept him coming back. Making sure that no one was looking, Lucille shoved a quick elbow into Laxus' side before trying to escape. But it was no use. She made it about two steps before he pulled her back to the couch…right onto his lap.

Lucille hissed. "Let me go…at this rate I'm not going to have enough for rent next month." She watched with dramatically sorrowful eyes as Mama turned down this last client as well, telling him that she was preoccupied. He looked quite upset, but did eventually leave.

Lucille growled in frustration before twisting towards Laxus who currently sported a wide smirk. "Fine. I'll go on the mission with you."

"Should've said so earlier Princess," Laxus chuckled, giving her hip a slight squeeze, before he stood up. Mission accomplished. "Next weekend. You better keep your word." With a wave over his shoulder, he headed towards the door.

Lucille huffed, completely annoyed that she had no choice but to submit. "I will."

* * *

The week passed by much faster than Lucy had wanted, and was spent mainly heading to class during the day and hanging at the guild with Natsu and the others in the evening. Soon enough, the weekend arrived and Lucy found herself travelling to the meet up spot. Which just so happened to be along the train tracks in the downtown core. She tapped her foot in annoyance when the dragon slayer approached him, along with his team, the Raijinshuu.

Lucy groaned. "Remind me why I have to do this with you again?"

"Because _you_ aren't allowed on any missions without an S-Class mage present," Laxus explained with a grin.

Freed coughed off to the side, while Evergreen smiled. Neither of them wanted to tell the new girl that Erza was also an S-Class mage.

Laxus continued. "And unless you wish to be broke, you've got no other option Princess. Or did you want to go back on our deal?"

Lucy glared at the man before sighing in defeat. "Fine. Where are we going?"

Bickslow laughed before skipping delightfully across the tracks.

"Are you serious?" Lucy asked, glancing at the other side of the street. She didn't exactly feel like crossing over today.

"Afraid?" Bickslow asked, his tongue hanging out. Again, Lucy wondered why the guy needed to wear sunglasses when it was obviously cloudy. It was never truly sunny on the dark side of the city anyways. Lucy watched as the totem figures the mage liked to call his…'babies' flew around him repeating the same words.

"Afraid…?" Lucy rolled her eyes, giving the tracks another glance before slowly walking across.

Lucille answered coolly. "Never. This place is my playground."

Bickslow raised his brow at the change in attitude from the blonde. It was…entertaining. He wasn't blind. He had noticed that Laxus had taken an uncanny interest in the girl, new or not, and he wanted to know why. Though, as a side note, he was already appreciating his new temporary team member, mainly for her wardrobe choice. The black leather jacket of hers matched her crimson red top and black pants. Sexy.

The others quickly followed suit.

"So what exactly are we doing?" Lucille asked with a sigh.

"There has been some strange activity near the docks on the edge of the city. Our client has requested that we take a look." Freed answered.

"The docks?" Lucille mused, trying to picture the location in her mind. While she had little knowledge of the areas that the other two main members of the Baram Alliance controlled, she practically knew the no man's land as well Tartaros' territory like the back of her hand. These…docks, should be on the edge of no man's land. It was also…quite far. "How exactly are we getting there?"

"Walking," Laxus answered abruptly, as if there was no room for argument.

"Walking?!" Lucille shouted. "It'll take hours to walk there!"

"You've got a problem Princess?" Laxus asked darkly. The Raijinshuu tried to hold in their giggles. They knew quite well why their leader preferred to walk.

"Yes I've got a problem!" Lucille exclaimed. "Are you an idiot? There's no way we're walking when we can drive."

Laxus' eye twitched in annoyance at being called an idiot. "And where pray tell are we getting a car?"

Lucille gave him a blank stare before she sighed in pity. "Such an innocent little lamb you are." She strolled towards the nearest street, eyed the parked cars along the road and headed towards the sleekest sports car she could find.

"You're kidding me." Laxus said incredulously.

"I never kid." Lucille said, taking out her knife and picking up a small piece of piping she found on the side of the road. Walking up to the car, she took a quick look around, noting that the area was filled with bright neon signs for 'high-class' strip clubs. The sucker was probably inside one of them, and wouldn't even notice until hours later.

Sticking her knife into the top of the door, she used it as a wedge and stuck the small piping into crack that was created. Feeling for the lock, she pressed the button with the piece of pipe, smirking when she heard the familiar click. Opening the door, she turned to the four stunned mages.

"Hop in."

"You know how to drive?" Laxus asked, slightly surprised. He had assumed she had been locked up in her tower all her life. When did she learn how to operate a vehicle?

Lucille stared at the man as if he suddenly grew a second head. "Do mages not know how to drive?..." This felt oddly similar to her situation with Natsu just last week. Idiot made her walk for hours in her heeled boots. That was something she'd never want to do again. Her feet hurt for two straight days after that.

"No…not mundane cars."

Lucille scrunched her brows. "What does that even mean? Do you guys have your own magical flying invisible cars or something?"

Freed chuckled. "It's not that extraordinary. Ours just obtain their energy through SE plugs which tap into a mages power."

"But doesn't that just deplete your magic power while you drive?" Lucille asked.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Well that-" Lucille said. "-is dumb." Why deplete your own magic when you can simply drive a car that ran on gas. It was things like this that continued to surprise her about mages.

Bickslow cackled at the girl's comment as he slid into the back of the car, admiring the fancy interior of the sexy sports car. This girl was getting more interesting by the minute. "I like you new girl. You're pretty badass."

"Good to know," Lucille said, before she shot the dragon slayer sly grin after seeing his hesitation. Was a fear for transportation a dragon slayer thing? He was acting just like Natsu. She swore she could see the beginnings of a green tinge over his cheeks. "Afraid?" Her voice drew out the vowels, teasing the man.

Laxus shot her a glare. "Hell no." He refused to show weakness in front of her, but he immediately regretted his decision as soon as he slid into the front passenger seat. Meanwhile, the Raijinshuu were already sitting comfortably in the back seat, playing around with the trinkets in the seat pockets. Mundane cars always astounded them. So much more intricate than their own magic vehicles, though excessively so. Magic vehicles were much more simple and meant purely for travelling from point A to B.

"You know," Lucille said absentmindedly as she adjusted the mirrors and hacked into the transmission through the wires. "I'm surprised no one has scolded me yet. Figured you 'good mages' would frown upon things like this."

Freed immediately wanted to comment, but Evergreen elbowed him to shut him up. She was _not_ walking to the docks in her shoes. "Sometimes you just gotta live a little."

Lucille laughed. "Now that's my sort of thinking." She smiled and breathed in the smell of the rich Italian leather and closed her eyes for a moment when she heard the engine rev to life.

"Hey new girl!" Bickslow grinned from the back seat. "When'd you learn how to do all this?"

Lucille sent a mysterious smile through the rear view mirror. "Secret." Lucille had learned how to drive long before the mundane's 'legal' age. Though in this half of the city there wasn't exactly the concept of 'legal'. Oddly enough, it was one of the Nine that had taught her how to drive at a young age. Mostly in secret. He technically wasn't allowed to see her much; Kyoka said he'd 'corrupt' her. The skill was well appreciated though, seeing as some of her missions actually required her to be seen, and often to arrive in style. As for her skills in thievery? That was also taught by him. He had an odd obsession with nice cars, so she often came home from missions with a new stolen vehicle to add to his collection. Though, she didn't do it for pleasantries. The cars became a sort of bargaining chip between the two, trading the stolen vehicles for things that she didn't have. It started off with food, but gradually moved to books, trinkets and other sorts of items that he collected when he went on his own missions. Unlike her, he was allowed to travel much farther out of Tartaros territory. Though she often wondered if he had actually gone out to buy those things for her. They seemed too specific to her tastes to be just a coincidence.

Lucille took another glance inside the car. He would probably like this one. Shaking herself out of the memory, she revved the car once before speeding down the street towards the docks. Almost immediately after the car started moving, she heard a muffled gagging sound beside her. Her eyes snorted when she looked to see Laxus' green face next to her.

She didn't even try to hold back her laughter. "Are you…carsick?!"

The Raijinshuu tried their best not to snicker for the sake of their leader's pride, but it was difficult.

Laxus grunted, trying to keep down his dinner. "No."

Lucille grinned before making an unnecessary sharp turn, laughing when she heard another gag from her passenger. Laxus didn't even have the ability to turn and glare at the woman currently driving like a maniac.

"Are you sure we should be driving a flashy car like this?" Freed asked, a little worried.

Lucille shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with arriving in style." Though as she ventured further into the darker side of the city, the more alert to her surroundings she became. The buildings grew older and more industrial, a sharp contrast from all the lights and modern glamour of the city core. Here, warehouses littered the streets, getting emptier and darker as they drove. Taking another look into the rearview mirror, she narrowed her eyes as the same car that had been following her for the past ten minutes turned just as she did.

Maybe a flashy car wasn't the greatest idea after all.

"What kind of people did the request say we're dealing with?" Lucille asked as she turned another corner. The sleek black car behind her did the same. She frowned when two more joined them.

"It didn't," Freed answered. "We have no more details besides the signs of strange activity by the docks. Our client was worried about his shipments since they've been arriving late. What's wrong?"

Lucille narrowed her eyes and her lips flattened as soon as she caught movement in the car behind her. "We've got company." The three in the back immediately went on high alert, turning around to stare at the cars behind them. "Hang on." She shifted gears and sped up, trying to lose the cars around her, causing a certain dragon slayer to groan from all the movement, but they still remained on their tail.

Suddenly her eyes widened. "Get down!" The sound of shattering glass pierced their ears as a bullet was shot through the back window. Lucille cursed. She hated guns, they annoyed her to no end. While she had learned how to fire them, on a preliminary level, she disliked using them. Too bulky and indiscreet and despite the existence of silencers, she still found that they made too much noise. Besides, since she started using demons, she had no need for long range weapons.

But if the people behind them were using guns, that must mean they are mundane. But something else confused her even more. No gangs were supposed to be active in the no man's zone, was one of them infringing on the unspoken rules of the streets? Were they the ones responsible for the strange activity at the docks? Regardless, mundane or not, she needed to get these people off their tail.

"Shit," Lucille hissed as another bullet zoomed past her ear. Driving through the narrowing streets required both her hands; she didn't have enough time to summon anything.

"Don't worry," Evergreen said as she glanced behind them. "Keep driving, the Raijinshuu's got this." She took a quick look at their leader, making sure he was alright. Knowing him, he was down for the count, at least until they stopped moving. She looked to her teammates who nodded in understanding.

"Go! Babies!" Bickslow shouted as he sent his totems out the window. "Line formation!" The wooden soul dolls lined themselves up as they followed the speeding cars, before sending a large crescent beam towards one of the car's wheels. Immediately the tires shredded, causing the car to crash into a side building. Unfortunately, the other two swerved out of the way just in time.

"My turn!" Evergreen smirked, as she leaned out the broken rear windshield. "Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!" A torrent of energy needles shot out of the back window and towards the second car, causing it veer into a fire hydrant. Only one car remained.

Lucille ducked as another bullet streamed by her head. "They just don't know when to give up."

"Allow me," Freed said. It was against the rules to use magic on mundanes, but it was either that or risk being hit by a bullet so he had no choice. He turned around in his seat to stare at the driver of the last car, his right eye glowing a dark purple. "Dark Ecriture: Fear." He watched the widening eyes of his victim and the car suddenly screeched to a halt.

The man in the stopped car trembled. Who the hell were those freaks in front of him? Driving in an obnoxious sports car, and then pulling out some crazy laser beam and a machine gun?! Like hell he was going to continue to chase them down! They could head towards the docks for all he cared…

The Raijinshuu let out a small sigh when the last of the cars went out of sight. Laxus was still out of commission from the car chase.

"Don't relax yet. We're here." With one last swerve, Lucille turned the headlights off and drove the car into a dark alley hidden from the sight of the docks. She stepped out and chuckled as she assessed the damage to the car. "Usually I go for the quieter route, but someone taught me that being loud and obnoxious was possible too." At least this time no mansions were blown up in the process.

Laxus stumbled out of the car and had to pause for a couple of minutes just to get his vision to stop spinning and his stomach to stop churning. He growled when he heard the quiet snickering of both Lucy and his team.

"To think the high and mighty dragon slayer can be brought to his knees from a single car ride," Lucille cooed mockingly. "I'm going to remember this."

"Shut up," Laxus grumbled, finally regaining composure. "Let's just go."

"Aye sir!" Lucille joked.

Laxus rolled his eyes. That girl has been spending way too much time with Natsu and Happy.

The five Fairy Tail mages walked along the walls of the building through the alley, clinging to the darkness until they gained sight of the docks. It looked empty.

Laxus narrowed his eyes. "It's too quiet."

Lucille furrowed her brows as well. "I thought there were supposed to be strange disturbances."

"There should be," Freed said. "Perhaps it is still too early?"

"Let's get a closer look," Lucille suggested. The others nodded, before they split into groups. The Raijinshuu went in one direction, while Laxus followed Lucille as she headed in the other.

"Why the hell are you following me?" Lucille asked, annoyed. They were currently walking through a series of abandoned shipping containers that lined the dock. Again it was strangely quiet.

Laxus sighed. "Ever heard of the concept 'working together'?" His thoughts were on the conversation, but his eyes were surveying the area.

Lucille glared at the man as she checked the corner before continuing around it. "I'm better at these sort of things when I work alone."

"Well too bad Princess, you're stuck with me," Laxus smirked when he caught her mumbling under her breath, calling him quite the unpleasant names. But suddenly, he caught scents travelling in their direction. "Be ready Princess."

Lucille straightened up, her hand grabbing hold of one knife from the holster in her thigh. She closed her eyes, listening for the sound of footsteps. She may not have super human hearing, but years of training had provided her with sharp enough senses to stay alive. She twisted to the side just as a shadow leapt down towards her from the shipping container to her right, narrowly missing a stab to her abdomen. She heard another approaching, but she left that one to Laxus. Ducking under another clumsy swing from her masked attacker, she swept her leg underneath theirs, causing them to fall to their knees. Judging by the person's build and their low grunt, it was probably a man. Her knife immediately came up to his neck.

This was too easy.

"Drop the knife," Lucille warned, her own weapon reflecting the moon light as it pressed further into the man's flesh. Her ears listened for the dragon slayer. It seemed he was not nearby anymore. Fear overcame the man's stupidity, as it always did, and her attacker dropped his knife, lifting his hands behind his head in defeat. "How many are there of you? And are you guys the ones responsible for the strange activity at the docks at night?"

He glared at her in defiance. "Even if you kill me, I won't tell you anything!"

 _And_ stupidity was still present.

Lucille rolled her eyes. Punks like this one were all the same. Pretending to be brave due to some false loyalty to their gang. Little did they know, their leaders would drop them like flies if they needed to. The fact that this one was only equipped with a knife led Lucille to believe that either the gang lacked the appropriate resources or he was just small fry. She sighed. She didn't have time to deal with someone who most likely knew nothing. The glint of her knife hit her eye again and she was reminded of the similar situation just last week. Her hand gripped tightly over the knife's handle. Again she wanted to end his life but…

 _"Lucy...don't do this..."_

"Damn it Natsu," Lucille cursed underneath her breath. And with a sharp blow to the head with the butt of her knife, Lucille knocked the man unconscious. Grabbing the man's knife from the ground, she sneered at the poor quality before tossing it into the nearby waters.

She turned around to face the shadows created by another container. "You can come out now."

Laxus stepped out of the darkness, with a grin on his face. "I'm proud of you, Princess." Sarcasm was obviously present in his tone.

"I'm surprised you didn't stop me earlier," Lucille said. "Did you think that I wasn't going to do it?"

"Oh, I was quite certain you were," Laxus said. "But I know I'm fast enough to stop you."

"You were testing me," Lucille snarled.

"And you passed with flying colours Princess," Laxus smirked, before calmly walking past her. Lucille growled in frustration before reluctantly following.

They walked around the docks for a couple minutes more, until Laxus stopped to sniff the air.

"What's wrong?" Lucille asked.

Laxus' eyes narrowed in the direction of the scent. "Something here, smells like death."

Lucille's eyes widened as the wheels in her brain started to spin. The smell of death usually accompanied dead bodies, though there were other things that also shared that smell. She pressed the cuffs on her wrists, drawing blood.

"Open! Demon Gate of the Hell Hound! Cerberus!"

The three headed demon appeared in a puff of black smoke, its teeth bared as soon as it caught the sight of Laxus.

"Not today Cerberus," Lucille said. She faced her hell hound. "Can you smell it?"

Cerberus growled. _Yes. Ojou._

Lucille let out a dark grin. "Take me to it."

"It?" Laxus asked. "O-Oi!" Laxus called out to her, but she was already running across the dock towards the large warehouse at the other end. He immediately ran after her, noting the noises increasing in volume as they got closer to the building. Noises that strangely sounded like chanting. He looked over to Lucy and she seemed to get…happier as they approached, a weird grin plastered to her face. It only made him warier.

They had just arrived in front of the warehouse when the Raijinshuu finally caught up to them.

"What is going on?" Bickslow asked, slightly out of breath from the running. They had run into a couple of people patrolling the area and had taken them out. Then Freed thought he had heard something and they headed in this direction.

"I have no idea," Laxus answered.

"What's this chanting?" Evergreen asked. She turned towards Freed, but his face had gone slightly pale.

Laxus noticed this as well. "Freed. What's wrong?"

"Haven't you been doing your self study Laxus?" Lucille taunted with a smirk, her head turned towards him while the rest of her body was already facing the large steel warehouse doors. The warehouse itself was well worn and would have normally escaped notice, but given the level of noise this given night she wouldn't be surprised if others came sniffing around as well.

Lucille pushed open the warehouse doors with a sly grin.

"It's a demon summoning."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Apologies for the one week delay. Studying is more draining than I thought, by the end of the day I'm so tired I kinda lose motivation to write. But don't worry I'm trudging along, feel free to spam me if I'm being slow. But! To make things slightly better, I made this chapter so long that I actually had to split it into two so you'll be getting two chapters. I'll post the second one tomorrow after editing.**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	14. A Gift of a Name

**Chapter 14**

 _Gildarts yawned, scratching the back of his head as he approached the next topic. "The thing that makes demons the most dangerous creature out there is the fact that it doesn't require magic to perform a demon summoning ritual." The slides at the front of the class switched towards a picture of a group of people standing around a cauldron surrounded by fire. "All you need…is blood."_

The doors creaked as Lucille pushed them open, revealing the large interior of the warehouse. Torches lit with flames lined the walls, but none of those outshined the large fire pit in the center, made with logs leaning against each other like a pyramid. Within the flames, there lay a large cauldron. Almost a hundred people surrounded the fire, continuing the chant spoken in Black Speech, the language of demons. To Lucille it was a source of familiarity to her ears. Cerberus growled at her side, eager to greet an old friend. As she glanced around, she noticed the enormous pale animal skin banner, hung on the back wall with a symbol drawn on in what looked to be blood, shaped like a pitch fork. Lucille wanted to groan. Could these people be any less original? That was their gang sign? Seeing as she didn't recognize that symbol and the fact that these people had the gall to conduct these sort of activities on no-man's land, she had to assume that they were new to the scene.

Lucille took a quick sniff of the air and scoffed. Even she was able to tell that it was only animal blood. Cowards. Couldn't even summon the demon with their own blood. She knew that whatever they bring forth will not be satisfied with just pig's blood.

"What the hell are you doing just standing there Princess?" Laxus growled. "We need to stop this!" It was in that moment that the chanters finally noticed their arrival, having been previously absorbed in the summoning ritual. Those that could be afforded to leave the circle were immediately sent towards them. At least this time they had guns. Surprisingly, there were no mages upon them.

Laxus and the Raijinshuu immediately burst into action, taking down whoever was in their way.

"Laxus!" Freed shouted. "We need to get into the circle!" It was the only way to stop the ritual.

As the commotion continued, Lucille simply stood there, occasional bullets streaming past her. Anyone who came close was immediately taken down by Cerberus. Inside her head she contemplated the dragon slayer's words.

 _"We need to stop this!"_

Why?

She wasn't on the light side of the city anymore. Here she wasn't Lucy. Lucy wouldn't survive a day on the dark side.

 _Stop this? To save them?_

Lucille wasn't a hero. There was no room for heroes here. They'd only get themselves killed. Lucille was an opportunist, a survivor. She wasn't born to die for stupidity. She had told Natsu that she wouldn't kill a man unnecessarily, but she refused to waste her time and energy 'saving' idiots who decided it would be fun to summon a demon. They probably only did it to gain muscle power, as they seemed to lack the resources to win territory. What a shame.

Laxus and Freed had almost made it to the center of the circle, with Bickslow and Evergreen covering for them with their long ranged attacks, but Lucille smiled as soon as she caught sight of the cauldron in the middle of the fire. While it was once full of blood…it was now empty.

It's too late.

A huge shockwave of force suddenly erupted from the center of the firepit, knocking everyone to the ground. The followers of the gang immediately went to their knees, bowing down to the one that would bring them glory amongst the wicked. A loud roar burst through the warehouse as a thick cloud of black smoke surrounded its center. From the smoke rose an enormous demon, with a human body and a bull's head that towered more than ten feet tall.

A minotaur.

Its eyes were black as night as it scanned its surroundings.

One of the followers nearest to the center shouted. "Oh great demon! Destroy our enemies!"

Lucille blinked twice. What century were these people in? The ancients? How was it that they still spoke like that? Not to her surprise, those words caught the attention of the minotaur and with one swift swipe and one girlish cry, the man was...devoured.

Oh dear.

The sight of one of their own being engulfed by the demon finally sank in with the rest of them. Most of them, whether they were attacking the intruders or not, began to run from the demon. it was every man for themselves, which was the norm, and they ran over each other just to get out. Some tried to be 'brave' and shoot at the demon, hoping it would perish, but it was useless. Those unfortunate enough to get caught by the minotaur turned into demon fodder.

Already, Laxus and the Raijinshuu were on the offensive. Laxus began striking the demon while Evergreen and Bickslow provided support. Freed was heading towards the entrance where Lucille was still standing, in order to draw runes that would prevent the demon's escape on the off chance he was unable to be defeated.

"You knew this would happen," Freed said, his breath heavy as he reached her.

"The ritual was too far along, you wouldn't have been able to stop it regardless," Lucille explained with a cold tone, her eyes still trained on the demon in front of her.

"Why didn't you warn them?!" Freed shouted.

Lucille turned towards Freed, confused. "Why should I? They brought it upon themselves no?" They deserved every inch of retribution they were receiving.

"No matter who they are, they are still human," Freed urged.

Lucille shook her head, taking pity on the naïve thoughts of a man who must have grown up sheltered. "Human, not human, it doesn't matter. Here, if you don't learn to take care of yourself, you die. There won't be someone to save them every single time." Spoken with experience.

"Well I'll save however many I am capable of," Freed said.

Lucille snorted at his 'hero-like' logic as she turned to face the minotaur. "Don't worry. I'll fight." _Just not for your reasons._ She sent Cerberus back to the underworld to conserve magic. Taking in a deep breath, Lucille pressed hard onto the cuffs on her wrists, drawing blood. She thought about summoning Gaia for her sheer strength, but seeing all the flames around her she had a better idea.

Holding her hands out, crossed in front of her, her eyes envisioned the towering gate of fire, everything else fading out of view.

Freed couldn't help but watch her summoning, always amazed by the spectacle no matter how many times he had seen it. What mesmerized him was her eyes, that always glazed an onyx black whenever she summoned one of the Nine.

Lucille pushed against the gate, feeling intense heat against her palms. Though, similar to the day before, it took less strength and concentration. Opening her mouth, she shouted the words that came to the forefront of her mind.

"Open! First Demon Gate of the Beast! Ifrit!"

Emerging from a sea of flame, the beast towered above his summoner, but to Freed's surprise, it was only a similar size compared to the demon they were up against.

"I thought Ifrit was one of the Nine? How come its of a similar size to the minotaur?" Freed asked, out of pure academic curiousity.

Lucille laughed. "Each demon is different, but more importantly, I would be naïve to think that my blood alone would be able to sustain the true forms of my demons, aside from lesser demons like Naberius. A traditional summoning is stronger than one of my own any day."

Freed nodded, understanding her logic.

"Ah! It feels nice to be up here again Ojou-chan," Ifrit laughed heartily, while his gaze lingered appreciatively upon Lucille's body. His mane made of crimson fire flurried at the sight. "Looking as beautiful ever."

Lucille moved to cover her chest from his view, groaning in annoyance. "The target is that way!" She pointed towards the minotaur that was still battling with Laxus. The lightning dragon slayer was getting hits in, and already the demon looked to be weakening. But it still wasn't enough.

"Very well, Ojou-chan," Ifrit nodded before walking on its two hind legs towards the minotaur, reaching the battle within three long strides. "Brother, so nice to see here."

The minotaur roared in rage.

"It hurts doesn't it? What a shame. Animal blood? It was like they didn't even know what they were doing." Ifrit tsked, though he licked his fangs when he scented the human blood in the air and saw the dead bodies littering the ground. He'll have to ask his master to see if he could get a snack later. He saw no harm in doing so; they were already dead.

A growl to his left had the demon turning his head, its long ram-like horns turning with it.

"Oh dragon slayer, its you again," Ifrit said, narrowing his eyes warily at the human. "I see my Ojou-chan has made new friends. Where's the fire eating squirt from last time?"

"Not here, not important." Laxus grunted as he avoided another swing from the large half human bull.

"Ah right," Ifrit turned back towards the minotaur. "Don't worry brother, I'll show you a better source of blood." With a crack of its hand, the fire in the warehouse, whether it be from the lit torches or the fire pit in the center, gathered towards the demon, before blazing hotter and brighter than before. With a wolfish grin, Ifrit charged forth, colliding with the minotaur, their horns locking in a show of dominance before Ifrit gained the upper hand and slammed the beast into the wall. The warehouse creaked from the impact. Ifrit's flames creeped along the minotaur's body, causing it to roar out in pain.

A sudden roar of lightning headed in Ifrit's direction causing him to jump back, growling at the man who produced it.

Laxus smirked. "Can't have you stealing all the thunder. This is my job after all."

"This is no longer your business human. Stay out of my Ojou-chan's way," Ifrit warned, his flames flaring his dislike.

Laxus' eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"You will see," Ifrit replied cryptically, before the flames swirled around his body. "It is time to end this." It should not have taken this long to begin with. The minotaur was merely a Greater demon. It should be nothing compared to a High demon such as himself, but of course he was always limited by his master's magic potential. The swirling flames turned into a tornado of fire before launching towards the minotaur that had tried to charge at them. The crimson fire engulfed the minotaur, and with a loud roar of pain, it collapsed to the ground on its back. Ifrit grinned. He was pleasantly surprised that he was allowed out for so long today. His master must be getting stronger.

Laxus stared at the scorched demon in shock before he registered its slight twitch. His fist was immediately surrounded by sparks and he was about to deal the finishing blow, but his path was suddenly blocked by a wall of flames.

"What are you doing?" Laxus shouted towards the flaming beast. "It's not dead yet!"

"But it's defeated." Lucille's voice suddenly butted in, and the sound of her boots could be heard despite the gentle crackling of the flames. She continued to walk towards the fire created by her own demon.

"Lucy!" Freed shouted. Laxus made to grab her, but she was already inside.

"Relax," Lucille said calmly as she walked harmlessly through the wall of flames. "Like I've said before, my own demons cannot hurt me." She walked up to the fallen body of the minotaur and climbed up onto its chest. As she knelt down, she pulled her knife out. "Freed, I have a feeling you would want to see this, so don't bat an eye."

Confused, Freed moved closer to the wall of flames and gasped when she slit open one of her wrists, right underneath where her cuff lay. "Lucy what are you doing?"

"You'll see," Lucille said. She held her bleeding wrist out over the minotaur's lips, watching as the stream of blood fell into its slightly open mouth. The next few seconds were deathly quiet, with the exception of the sound of the flickering flames that still separated the others from her. Suddenly, the minotaur's eyes shot open, deep onyx staring into chocolate brown. "It tastes good doesn't it? Nothing like the pig's blood."

The minotaur growled.

"Lucy!" Evergreen shouted in concern. The others also watched on with wary.

"There's more where that came from," Lucille said softly, ignoring Evergreen's outburst. "You know what you'll need to do." She smiled when she heard Freed's slight gasp. He must have caught on. She waited, two, three, four seconds more before the minotaur slowly bared its neck to her in submission. She grinned in victory.

"The guy with the weak stomach," Lucille said, obviously referring to the dragon slayer. "You might want to look away now."

"What the hell are you-" Laxus' sentence was cut off as soon as he saw her lean down and bite straight into the demon's neck, her teeth sinking into to skin and drawing blood. Nearby he could hear the slight gag coming from Bickslow.

The blood burned down Lucille's throat like smooth whisky as she drank from the artery in the demon's neck. She had always been amazed by the rituals that she had to perform in order to contract her demons. Based solely on her personal experience, it seemed that it was different for each tier of demon. For Lesser demons like Naberius, it only took the receipt of her blood to bind them together. For Greater demons, like Cerberus and this minotaur, it took an exchange of blood, hers for theirs. This usually meant that she had to defeat the demon first, in order to bring them to submission. She often enticed them with the taste of her blood which, according to her demons, was delicious. Everything she did in regards to her contracting was purely instinctual. However, she was surprised at the simplicity of contracting with those of the Nine. They merely appeared to her in dreams. Though one thing remained the same amongst all three.

The gift of a name.

Hell-hound, succubus, harpy, gorgon. Those were all classifications of demons. But each and every demon was bestowed with a unique name by Father and Mother. Names held power and should not be personally gifted to someone unless you were ready to present them with that power.

Lifting her head up from the minotaur's neck, crimson blood dripping down her chin, Lucille's gaze returned to the minotaur's eyes. A silent demand was voiced through her eyes. _Your name._

The minotaur bowed his head in another sign of submission before he spoke in the language of demons. _"Asterion."_

"Asterion," Lucille repeated slowly. And with that the contract was complete. There were no large flashes of light or shadow, no fancy contract signed in blood. Contract completed, Asterion returned to the underworld, disappearing in a large puff of smoke. Lucille stood just as he disappeared, her feet touching the ground when he was gone. To her left, Ifrit nodded his head in pride, seeing his master accept the demonic rituals so easily. Sensing her magic powers depleting he too returned to Hell, his flames returning with him. Not without dragging a couple of corpses with him though.

As soon as the flames subsided, the rest of the Fairy Tail mages approached her. Lucille turned towards them and were ready for their words and expressions of disgust. Freed was the first to walk up to her. His face remained stoic until her reached her.

"That. Was. Fascinating!" Freed stressed as his brain tried to burn the intricacies of the ritual into his mind. He wouldn't be surprised if he was grinning like a child on Christmas day. He had already done his class readings about demon summoning rituals, but he knew that everything ran differently for a mage like Lucy.

"That was insane Lucy!" Bickslow laughed. "Kinda gross, but insane."

Evergreen rolled her eyes at her teammates childish behaviour. She pointed to the blood on Lucy's clothes. "Does the smell ever come out of those?"

Lucille didn't know what to do except laugh. Those were the most innocent reactions to her contracting rituals that she's ever seen. Though granted Jackal was the only other person who had seen her contract a demon. He merely cackled like a maniac before demanding that she battled him with it. Dodging explosions after contracting a demon was definitely something that she had not wanted to do.

The only one that remained silent was Laxus. Mainly because he really didn't know what to say since he was…confused. He had expected himself to be disgusted with the entire act, but, like his teammates, he couldn't quite get himself to feel that way. All he realized was that there was yet another layer to Lucy that he had not yet seen. He swore, with each layer he uncovered, she got even more enigmatic.

Laxus scrunched his nose as the scent of blood still lingered in the air. "Let's get ourselves out of here. The threat to our client's shipments should have been them." The group that was hiding out here must have been interfering with the shipments as they came in on the docks. Seeing as they had quite the fright this evening, he was certain that they would not return.

The rest of them nodded as well, not wanting to stay here any longer. Someone would clean this up in the morning.

"Well that was a fun mission!" Lucille joked as they walked out of the docks. Noticing that her wrist was still bleeding, she ripped a part of her top off, before fixing it into a makeshift bandage. She headed towards where they had parked the car, but as soon as she caught sight of it, it was 'accidently' struck by a stray bolt of lightning. She turned to glare at the obvious perpetrator.

"Guess we're walking back." Laxus turned his head. The Raijinshuu could only giggle at their leader's childish behaviour.

Lucille grumbled the entire walk back. Though as she walked she gave a lot of thought to her two weeks here at Fairy Tail. How much she has changed at yet stayed the same at the same town. How different the people here were, how her life had been changed and yet remained the similar at the same time. She reflected on all that she learned in the short period of time and it was astounding. She had grown, and it wasn't just her magic. And by the time. Lucy had made her way back to her apartment, half running due to the sudden onset of rain, her thoughts had centralized on one thought.

 _Maybe joining this guild wasn't so bad after all._

She unlocked her apartment door and walked inside, expecting to be greeted by quite and empty darkness, only to find it brightly lit and filled with-

"What are you guys doing here?!" Her apartment had gained four new visitors.

Natsu grinned up at her apartment floor, before seemingly noticing that she was covered in blood. "Lucy! What happened?!"

Lucy looked down at herself, realizing that the blood combined with the rain made her look like a drowned serial killer. "Oh. It's not mine don't worry."

"What happened?" Erza demanded as she rose from the bed.

Lucy sighed. "Laxus decided I needed to be taken out on a mission. There was some slight fighting and some blood splattered onto me. I only look like this because of the rain." She turned to Natsu just as he opened his mouth. "Don't worry no one died."

Instead of saying anything, Natsu just smiled as if he was proud of her.

"Why Laxus?" Erza asked, confused.

Lucy only shrugged. "He said something along the lines of how I was forbidden to go on missions unless it's with an S-Class Mage or something. Whatever that is."

Erza's eyes gleamed. "Well then, from now on, you shall go on missions with me."

"You're an S-Class mage?!" Lucy exclaimed. From the way Laxus had made it sound, it seemed to be something impressive. Her eyebrow twitched slightly. That bastard never told her that Erza was an S-Class mage...

"Of course!" Erza said proudly while the other two on the floor groaned, seemingly annoyed with the red-haired mage's status. "Don't worry Lucy. You will be safe with me."

"I don't need your protection," Lucy pointed out.

Erza simply smiled at her. "Then how about my company?"

Lucy paused for a moment, slightly taken aback by Erza's words. "O-Okay. I think I can deal with that."

"Good. Then it's settled," Erza said.

"Wait!" Natsu shouted from the floor. "Lucy's my partner!"

"And what about me..." Gray grumbled.

"Then we shall form a team together," Erza suggested. "We will strive to be Fairy Tail's strongest!"

Natsu and Gray grinned while Lucy simply stood there, a little lost. She decided she would deal with something more urgent first before she sorted out the conversation that just happened. "So can you guys tell me why you're here-actually you know what? I'm going to take a shower first." Lucy proceeded to walk towards her bathroom, leaving the three in her apartment to their own devices as she showered. She emerged clean and dry ten minutes later.

"Okay, explain," Lucy demanded.

"It's a nice place you've got here Lucy," Erza pointed out as she lounged on her bed.

"T-Thanks..." Lucy replied, though she was quite sure that wasn't the answer to her question.

Gray looked up from her desk while clutching a couple of papers. "Where's the rest of this? It's pretty good."

Lucy stared at Gray for a moment before snatching her draft novel from his hands. "Don't read this!" She gave Gray an odd look. She swore that the man didn't like her, seeing as he always distant when they were on campus. Why was he being so...friendly all of a sudden? It's unsettling. She thought he was normal. "You guys can't just barge into someone's apartment!"

"Why not?" All three voices replied.

Lucy sweatdropped. "Why are you guys even here?" She swore this was the third time she was asking this...

"To hang out!" Natsu grinned. "Since we're a team now and all."

"Aye! We bought cards!" Happy exclaimed, holding up a deck.

"Cards..." Lucy raised a sarcastic brow. They came all the way here for cards? But seeing their bright smiling faces, she sighed and obliged. For the rest of the night they playing with the cards as well as other games that someone brought up. By the end of the night, Lucy had learnt that pillows could become weapons if used appropriately. She also came to one conclusion.

 _This guild was...fun._

* * *

Two pairs of eyes watched a blonde woman carefully as she walked past them, unaware of their presence. Both held umbrellas over their heads to shelter themselves from the rain, one pink and one grey.

"Is that her?"

"Blonde hair, large-chested? I think so."

"That description pertains to more than just that one woman..."

"Shut up. I'm pretty sure she's it. Her scent is the same."

"If you are certain, then I believe you. We should report this back to the Master. He will need a while to prepare."

"Well he better do it quick. I've been itchy for something fun."

"Your idea of fun is most disturbing..."

"Gihi."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Shorter second half, but here you go! Thought it would be cool to show you how she contracted a demon that was not one of the Nine. The ball is finally starting to roll ever so slightly! Hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter to you within a decent amount of time!**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	15. Lucille Heartphilia

**Chapter 15**

"Perfect. Alright Lucy, you can relax now."

Lucy slowly let out the breath she had been holding, her mind easing itself out of the deep meditation she had placed it in. Her fingers tingled from the residual tendrils of magic that brushed against her skin. She lifted her head before slowly opening her eyes, meeting deep blue when her vision returned.

With the way his eyes gleamed and his lips curled, Freed looked proud. "You've made amazing progress Lucy, and you've only been here for two months!"

There was no denying that statement. Not that she would want to anyways. "I'm surprised." Her magic had grown significantly from when she had first joined Fairy Tail. Though, granted, she had little to none when she had just started.

"Nonsense," Freed smiled. "I could tell you had great potential. Give it some more time and you'll be a great mage."

"Thanks," Lucy smiled, genuinely.

Freed held out a hand, to which she graciously accepted, pulling herself up to a stand. Laxus wasn't here for her session today, not that she cared. He had taken to bothering her less on campus, opting to aggravate her elsewhere. She stood still for a moment, letting the pins and needles settle as the blood rushed back to her legs. She grabbed her bag and her fall jacket. The winter chill had started to creep in as it neared the later months of the year. Even her uniform had changed to include longer pants and a thicker cardigan.

Freed held the door to the magic lab for her as they exited. "I do believe its almost time for lunch, will you be heading to the Great Hall?"

Lucy shook her head. "I'll be there in a moment. I just need to grab a couple of books from the library for my Mundane Studies assignment."

"Oh? What's your topic?" They continued walking through the hallway towards the exit of the building.

"Oh, um, technology," Lucy blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

That seemed to be an appropriate answer, since Freed beamed. "Fascinating topic. Since they don't have magic, it is always interesting to see how the mundanes have adapted their lifestyles over the years."

Lucy nodded with a tight smile. She walked through the door as Freed, ever the gentleman, opened it for her. "I'll see you around?"

Freed nodded. "Perhaps at the guild."

Lucy watched as Freed walked along the cobblestone steps towards the large building in the center of campus. Exhaling, she turned to climb up the hill to her now favourite tree. Heading to the library was a lie, she just needed a little peace and quiet from the normal rowdiness of the Fairy Tail life. Her shoulders relaxed when she spotted the familiar sight at the top of the hill, surrounded by leaves of bright oranges and yellow. When she reached the tall maple tree, she leaned against its cold bark, closing her eyes.

Opening them a little later, Lucy summoned Cerberus to her. She grinned when the chibi three-headed hound materialized in her lap. She poked and prodded comically at his tiny heads until one of them caught her finger, biting down to suck on her blood.

She leaned back against the tree, Cerberus happily sitting in her lap. Her lips slowly curled up into a gentle smile as she thought about the past two months at Fairy Tail. After her first two weeks, she thought things would settle down, but that was quickly proven wrong. Somehow, something crazy would always keep her on her feet. Take the first mission she went on with her 'team'…

xXx

 _Erza didn't dole out many details about the job even as they were on the train heading out of Magnolia city. She stared out the window for the entire ride, amazed at all the sights. She had never left the confines of the city before, so everything was new to her. The fields, the towns, everything._

 _It was on this mission that she finally understood the real reason why Natsu never like transportation. She laughed hysterically when he first gagged and didn't stop even when he turned green. So he was prone to motion-sickness, just like another dragon slayer she knew. Perhaps it really was a dragon slayer thing._

 _It took about an hour for them to reach their destination and it was then that Erza divulged the details of the request. It was to retrieve an object. A flute. The job was specifically requested by the Magic Council, but it was currently in the possession of a dark guild that had taken root on the outskirts of the town they just arrived in._

 _The name of the flute had struck a nerve inside her mind. Lullaby. She had read about it within the libraries of Tartaros. Hailed as a demon from the 'Book of Zeref', it had the power to place a death curse on all who hear its melody. Who this 'Zeref' was she did not know. But the fact that he managed to 'create' a demon of his own with summoning rituals similar to the summoning tombs of the demons of old astounded her._

 _Gray was none too happy about confronting a demon. In fact, he had the same dark scowl from whenever he saw her with Cerberus. She finally confronted him about it while they walked behind Erza, Natsu and Happy, tired of his changing moods around her. He finally caved, telling her how his parents were killed by demons when he was young. She didn't say anything, because she knew that if she did, it wouldn't be something he wanted to hear. She didn't tell him that she wasn't surprised because she knew how just much of a bloodlust demons had._

 _The fight with the dark guild was tough, but she finally got the chance to witness why Erza was called the strongest female mage in Fairy Tail. It was both astonishing and terrifying to watch her Requip magic. She would never want to be at the end of her sword._

 _But despite their efforts, the dark guild managed to summon Lullaby, who had transformed from a flute like form to a massive tree-like demon. From the moment she felt its power signature, she knew that it was not a demon from Hell. This one, felt different…in fact it felt similar to those at Tartaros…_

 _But given their combined efforts, including her summoning of Leviathan, they managed to defeat Lullaby before it was able to affect anyone in the vicinity of the town. Of course it ended up with Fairy Tail's signature destruction capability. From what she saw, she believed that they destroyed at least half the town._

 _That was how her first mission with her new team had ended._

xXx

Lucy chuckled as she recalled that memory. It was a strange day indeed. Though she was glad that she finally buried the invisible hatchet with Gray. His hatred over her demons seemed to have dissipated when Asterion saved him from an untimely attack from a dark mage. From that day on, Gray no longer looked at her with those wary eyes. And despite telling herself that it shouldn't have bothered her in the first place, she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't happier.

Her thoughts drifted towards her new demon. Tall, broad and furious was how she would describe him. Half man and half bull, she was glad that she finally had a demon that possessed the pure physical strength that she needed without the magic expense that was required to summon one of the Nine.

Cerberus traded her finger over to another one of its heads as Lucy breathed in the chilly air. Her thoughts started to drift to the less hectic parts of her month. Thoughts which involved a certain meddling dragon slayer who refused to stay out of her night life. Though it did amuse her how much his attitude had changed since the first night he barged into her Paradise room…

xXx

" _Welcome to Mama's!"_

 _She turned just as the door opened, revealing a tall, broad man dressed in an expensive suit. He stood straight, his eyes gleamed with confidence as he strolled into the lounge._

" _Eden." The deep voice to her left said swiftly._

 _She turned to face Laxus with a light snort. "No actually, he's here for Delilah."_

 _Laxus raised his brow at her._

" _I'm not lying," she laughed. "Hard to tell isn't it? It's always the confident, uptight ones that have a certain fondness for pain."_

 _If anyone had told her a month ago that she would be lounging on one of the sofas at Mama's playing the guessing game with Laxus, she would have said they were crazy. But somehow, their interactions had evolved, and it wasn't long before Laxus had relaxed enough to let her take clients again. Though it wasn't as if she would've let him prevent her from doing so for long. But, eventually it became a game for them. He'd guess which of her demons her customers were here for, but it often surprised him when she revealed the truth._

" _These mundanes always surprise me," Laxus snorted before standing up from the sofa. "I'll be in the back room. Be quick. I need help with the Demonology assignment." She didn't quite remember when he had found her secret room. But since then, it was his favourite place to annoy her with his stupid questions._

 _She barked out a short laugh before rising to greet her client with a seductive smile. This one looked like he had the funds to overpay._

xXx

Lucy didn't know how it had all happened to be honest. At first, she had been furious after realizing Laxus had tricked her into believing that he was her only option for missions. But eventually even that subsided. She still wouldn't call them 'friends', but at least they were no longer hostile towards each other. She didn't know what caused the changes, so she simply chalked it up to the passage of time. It seemed like they had finally struck a silent truce.

Lucy was starting to shiver from the cold chill and was about to head back when one of Cerberus' heads perked up. It was a few seconds later when she heard her name.

"Lucy!"

Natsu came up the hill, panting as if he had been running. He seemed to be holding something.

"Natsu, what are you doing here? Where's Happy?"

Natsu frowned. "You weren't at the Great Hall for lunch so I came looking for you. Happy stayed behind to try and convince Charle to accept his fish."

"Oh," Lucy said. Time must have flown by. She hadn't planned on staying here for this long. "I was going to head over later."

Natsu plopped down next to her and leaned against the tree. He paused for a moment, before shoving a package into her hands.

Lucy looked down at the paper bag. "What is it?"

"Well, lunch was almost over and I figured you hadn't had anything so I just brought you a sandwich. It's really nothing that special," Natsu rambled.

Lucy's eyes widened a fraction before they softened. "Thanks."

Natsu must have been feeling cold because his cheeks reddened. "It's nothing."

Cerberus decided then to jump from her lap to Natsu's, immediately taking one of his fingers into his mouth.

"Natsu, you shouldn't spoil him like that," Lucy scolded, though even she could tell that she wasn't serious. It still surprised her that Cerberus had taken to the fire mage. Aside from Mira, he hadn't associated with anyone else. Though she had a suspicious inkling it had something to do with the fact that Natsu was dumb enough to let Cerberus feed from him.

Natsu gave her his signature toothy grin. "But he likes it."

Lucy shot him a flat look. "Of course he does. It's human blood."

Natsu laughed while his other land lifted to pet one of Cerberus' heads. "So what were you doing out here by yourself. It's getting cold."

Lucy leaned her head back against the tree again, watching as a lone orange leaf fell from its branch. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

Lucy smirked. "Oh…I don't know…how about that one time when a moron managed to blow up a lacrima in my face during workshop…"

She would never forget that day, mainly since she ended up missing half an eyebrow for two weeks. Despite knowing Natsu's careless tendencies, she let him convince her to be partners for their lacrima seminar. One of the workshops involved the construction of a lacrima, through the transfer of one's magic into the crystal orb itself. The entire process was lengthy and required patience and great care.

Which, of course, were the two qualities that Natsu did not possess. Half an hour into the process, Natsu slipped up, placing too much of his fire magic into the crystal causing it to explode. Thankfully it wasn't dangerous, but she ended up with slightly scorched hair and half her eyebrow missing. She didn't talk to the mage for two straight days after that…

Natsu flushed from embarrassment and coughed. "Why do you keep bringing that up? It was two weeks ago!" He stared at his hands. "It was an accident…"

Lucy gave him a blank stare. "You laughed for five straight minutes…"

She could tell by the way edges of his lips curled slightly that he was trying hard not to smile at the memory. "That…well…it was funny…sorta."

Lucy huffed before snatching back her demon, much to Natsu's dismay. She could see him about to form words, but the sound of the clock tower striking one shocked them out of their conversation. "Let's go. We'll be late for class." She stood to her feet, brushing the leaves off her pants.

Natsu mumbled as rose as well. "Mundane studies…I hate that class."

"That's only because you don't understand it," Lucy pointed out. She realized that after the first couple of classes, Mundane studies was actually becoming one of her favourite classes. Though no one else but Levy shared the same interest. Her professor talked about many topics that Lucy had only ever read about in books and then some. It was strange, but it gave Lucy a sense of what life would have been like for her had she been normal…

* * *

Natsu yawned as he stretched his arms above his head. Happy flew next to him.

Lucy snorted as she balanced along the edge of the cobblestone bridge that connected the Academy Island to the guild. "It wasn't that boring."

"They talked about technology," Natsu said. "It's what mundanes try to use to substitute for magic."

"But it's fascinating if you think about it," Lucy commented. "They managed to do so much with just their own imagination and determination."

"If you say so Lucy…"

They walked in comfortable silence along the bridge until they reached the guild.

Lucy turned towards Natsu. "Natsu, I'm going home to change first, then I'll head back."

"Alright!" Natsu smiled.

"Hurry back!" Happy exclaimed.

Lucy stretched her arms out to the side. She summoned Cerberus for company as she headed home. But halfway there, Cerberus started to growl in her arms. Immediately alert, Lucy's eyes scanned her surroundings. Suddenly, rain poured from the sky. Anyone left on the sidewalks immediately ran for cover. Soon the street was empty.

Lucy's eyes narrowed as she caught a feminine figure walking towards her in the rain with a bright pink umbrella. The woman wore a conservative blue dress.

"Drip, drip, drop," the woman said as she approached. Lucy got a better look at her and noticed cerulean blue hair and dark blue eyes. Boy was this woman fond of blue.

Cerberus continued to growl as the woman neared them.

Lucy snarled, her body tensing. "Who are you?" Her senses bristled at the woman's magic power.

"Drip, drip, drop." The woman repeated. She stopped right in front of Lucy and Cerberus. "I am Juvia. The rain woman."

"What do you want?" Lucy asked.

"My Master wishes to speak with you."

"I don't give a damn about your Master," Lucy spat. "Leave now before you regret it."

The woman shook her head as if she pitied her. "It will be you who will regret this."

Cerberus jumped off of Lucy's arms and quickly returned to his native form, fangs bared.

Lucy released a sigh. "Cerberus." The hell-hound growled before he leapt towards the woman. Lucy expected her to dodge or at least run, but to her surprise, she did absolutely nothing. Cerberus's fangs sunk right into the woman's body, but-

Lucy gasped. "What are you?!" Cerberus went straight through the woman as if she was…water.

"Juvia's body is made of water, your attacks will do nothing to me." Water swirled around the woman and headed straight towards Lucy.

Lucy growled in frustration, but managed to dodge the twister. But she wasn't expecting it to swerve back around. She cried out as it struck her, curling around her body until she was completely surrounded in a sphere of water.

"Water Lock."

Lucy gasped for air, but none came. She watched as Cerberus continued to try and attack the woman, but to no avail. Her body was entirely fluid. Lucy's lungs burned for air, but within two minutes, she found herself slowly losing consciousness. She barely registered Cerberus' whine before her vision blackened…

She needed air…

* * *

Natsu furrowed his brow as he stared at the clock above the bar. Where was Lucy?

Even Happy beside him was starting to get worried. "Lucy's been gone for two hours…should we go look for her?"

Natsu nodded warily. "Ya. Let's go Happy." He had a weird feeling that something was wrong. They quickly made their way out of the guild towards Lucy's apartment. Natsu followed Lucy's scent along the road, but suddenly it disappeared.

As if it was washed away…

Natsu circled the entire area where Lucy's scent had gone missing, but there was no sign of any struggle.

Natsu growled low.

Someone had taken Lucy…

* * *

Lucy gasped as she sat up, alarmed. Her memories caught her brain up to speed as her eyes darted around, trying to figure out where she was. She looked to be in a dungeon. She felt a cold breeze against her body. Glancing towards the direction from which it came from, Lucy cursed. She was in a sky cell. One wrong move and she'll fall to her death. She looked down and saw that her hands and ankles were tied together, making it hard to get up. Her back ached from lying on what seemed to be cold concrete. How long was she out for?

Lucy panicked when she couldn't feel her magic. She glanced down at the chains. Was it due to those?

Someone must have heard her, since Lucy started to hear footsteps travelling towards her cell. A pair of eyes as dark as night looked in before the door creaked opened.

"I see you are awake."

Lucy shivered at the man's slimy voice. "Who are you."

"I'm Phantom Lord's guild master, Jose." Lucy's never heard of Phantom Lord before. Were they a dark guild?

Lucy glared up at the skinny man dressed like he had vomited over a jester's costume. "And what do you want with me?"

Jose sent her a sly grin, which only made Lucy shiver more in disgust. "I apologize for tying you up and putting you in this filthy jail. But you're still a captive. Please try to understand."

"Untie me!"

"Depends on your attitude little lady. If you play nice we might treat you as a 'VIP' instead of a captive."

Lucy wasn't taking the bait. "Just cut to the chase. What do you want with me?"

Jose walked closer, before leaning down to face her. "Did the little runaway heiress forget who she is? Lucille Heartphilia-sama. Daughter of the Heartphilia conglomerate."

Lucy flinched. "How do you know that name?"

Jose smirked. "Let's just say a certain lady's father was requesting for her return. You see, we are a good guild, simply returning a lost little lamb to her father." Lucy's eyes widened. Her father wanted her back? Why? After all those years…unless…

Pure rage flowed through her veins as she immediately deduced what her father would do once she was 'returned'.

Jose didn't seem to notice. "I'm surprised you withheld your social status from your guild. To be honest I'm surprised you ran away at all. How unsightly to think that a rich woman such as yourself would stoop so low as to undertake cheap and dangerous jobs."

Lucy wanted to scoff. This man had no idea what she had been through as a 'rich woman'. "I'm not returning."

Jose sighed. "My my, what a troublesome lady." Suddenly another set of footsteps stopped in front of her cell. "Well I hope a session with Gajeel will change your mind."

"Who the hell is-" Lucy learned who this 'Gajeel' was moments later when the door opened to a gruff looking man, with long unruly hair and iron piercings over his face. Lucy's senses went on alert. Something about this man made her feel uneasy.

'Gajeel' gave her a wolfish grin. "I've been waiting too long for this. I've been getting antsy Master. I hope you don't mind if I let out some frustrations."

Jose only laughed as he exited the dungeon cell. "As long as she remains in one piece. I need something to return to the man."

Gajeel turned towards her. Lucy refused to back down as he leaned down with a cruel smile. "I've been meaning to find a new punching bag."

Lucy laughed hard, which seemed to throw the man off his guard. "That's it?" Lucy leaned forward so that their faces were only inches apart, her gaze challenging his. "You have no idea what I'm capable of taking." A punching bag? This man would have to do much more to come even remotely close to Kyoka's level. Nothing compared to that woman's sick love for torture.

Her laugh seemed to anger him because moments later a solid kick landed in her stomach. Lucy coughed and a trickle of blood trailed down her chin. "You're going to have to try harder than that."

Lucy figured that she probably sounded crazy since she continued to laugh no matter if he punched or kicked her. By then, her blood had stained the floor of the dungeon a beautiful crimson. She continued to bait the man, letting him treat her like the punching bag he wanted.

She needed him to give her a reason to retaliate.

Lucy felt one last kick to her ribs, feeling one of them break under the pressure. She barked out one more laugh.

 _That's it._

A gentle calm filled her mind. Lucille stared coldly into the Gajeel's furious eyes. Her change in demeanor must have stunned him since he faltered. That was all the time she needed.

" _All one needs to summon a demon…is blood."_

"Open! Demon Gate of the Raven! Naberius!"

Her demon appeared in her petite form in a puff of smoke.

Gajeel stumbled back for a second. "What the hell is that?" But it was too late, Naberius was already on her way out of cell.

Lucille knew that she wouldn't have had enough time to get to the ledge. And even if she did manage to fall off, she couldn't guarantee her ability to maintain Naberius in her full form long enough for her to escape. She couldn't run the risk.

…She needed help.

 _Find Natsu._

Gajeel growled at her. "What the hell did you do woman?"

Lucille chuckled, holding in her pain as her broken rib stabbed into flesh. "That's none of your concern." She took a deep breath and shouted again.

"Open! Demon Gate of the Bull! Asterion!"

Gajeel had tried to lunge for her, in an attempt to stop her summoning, but Lucille twisted away with a cry of pain, giving her just enough time to finish the incantation.

When her minotaur's full form rose from the shadows, Lucille thanked the devil that she had lost so much blood. It was just enough to sustain his body. But Lucille knew that he would be limited with no magic. She just needed to stall him enough so that there was no chance that Gajeel would be able to track down Naberius.

Asterion roared as he charged towards her attacker. Lucille heard Gajeel's curse as Asterion rammed him into the wall. She turned, hoping that he'd be crushed into pulp, but he merely smirked at her.

Lucille gasped when she saw his arm, where Asterion was gripping tightly. It was…made of iron?! "What are you?"

Gajeel laughed darkly. "I'm an iron dragon slayer, you over-privileged wench."

Iron dragon slayer…Lucille knew it was a terrible time to envision this but, "Does this mean you eat iron?"

Gajeel growled at her as he pushed back against Asterion. "What about it?"

Lucille laughed hysterically despite knowing that it would cause her pain. That was gold. And she thought Natsu had been weird.

Gajeel apparently didn't appreciate her mockery, since he countered Asterion in one blow of his iron clad arm. Lucille closed her eyes, knowing that Asterion had been forced back to the underworld. Having no magic was…inconvenient.

He growled as he stalked towards her. "Not so funny anymore is it? Fairy trash…"

Just as a sharp pain shot through her head, Lucille prayed to the devil that Naberius made it to Fairy Tail soon…

* * *

Air…She needed air…

Was she drowning again? ...When had she fallen unconscious?

White completely surrounded her, as if she were staring at a blank canvas. She couldn't breathe.

 _Ojou-sama…_

W-Who are you? Help me! I can't breathe!

 _I am the last of the four elements._

W-What's your name?

 _My name is…_

Suddenly a towering gate appeared from within the blank.

 _Valea._

* * *

 ** _A/N: It's been a while I know. Got one more month before my exam, but I'll try my best to get chapters out._**

 ** _Until the next chapter!_**


	16. Fourth Demon Gate of the Void

**Chapter 16**

Lucille woke to a cold splash of water over her face. She didn't know how much time had passed, but she knew that it was long enough that night had already fallen. She could no longer feel her limbs. Her brain must have numbed the pain; it's used to doing that. She grunted as another boot connected with her stomach, but all she felt by then was the wetness in her mouth as she coughed out more blood. She wondered if she would have died from blood loss were it not for the blood lacrima in her heart.

She held her breath when Gajeel's leg pulled back once again-

A gentle whisper flew through the wind. "Lucy…"

Lucy closed her eyes, never before so relieved to hear that name. She heard Gajeel's grunt before he swiftly walked out of her cell in search of the intruders, slamming the door behind him. Hearing her name again, Lucy started the painstaking journey across the concrete floor towards the abyss that waited her at the edge of the sky cell. She felt a strong sense of déjà vu as she crawled along her stomach, pain filling each cell of her body. She forced herself to stay conscious. She may not be able to die from blood loss, but that doesn't mean she doesn't get anemic when she's lost too much.

Sensing the empty air underneath her arm, she felt herself making the final push, feeling the wind bite as she fell.

 _One of you, please._

Lucy felt her eyes closing shut, feeling her body fall faster and faster, until warm arms suddenly wrapped around her. She opened her eyes to onyx right before she felt the impact of hitting the ground. But his body had shielded her from the majority of it.

Almost immediately she heard his panicked shouting.

"Somebody get Wendy! Now!"

Lucy heard many voices, but all she could focus on was the panicked look in Natsu's eyes. Why was he so worried about her? She was fine. She had taken worse than this before. She wouldn't die.

Small hands suddenly touched her body and Lucy wanted to flinch, but strong arms kept her still. A gentle warmth spread through her body as she felt her wounds starting to stitch together. Even her broken rib managed to repair. She allowed herself to breathe fully again after the pain subsided.

After the sound of chains breaking, Lucy felt her magic return to her like a tsunami, filling her and making her whole again. She tried to rise to her feet, but Natsu's arms prevented her from moving.

"Natsu let me go," Lucy rasped. She was slightly ashamed by how sore her throat was. She shouldn't have screamed as much as she had. "I'm fine."

Lucy turned towards Natsu and was slightly frightened by the anger and passion inside his eyes. What happened to the boy with the boyish grin and the carefree smile? Lucy shivered, but she didn't know why.

"Natsu. I'm fine."

Natsu gave her one last squeeze before putting her down. Lucy slowly stood up, feeling her limbs again. It was then that she noticed something.

"You all came for me?" Lucy whispered, completely shocked. There were at least two dozen of them.

Gray came up to her and slapped a hand on her shoulder. "Of course. You're nakama now." Erza off to the side, standing by Jellal, nodded at her as well. Lucy didn't use to know what that meant, but staring at all the people who had come to save her…it was starting to click.

Lucy turned to face Natsu, who she could tell was still seething. "I hope we're not just going to leave it like this."

Natsu looked at her. "I'm not. But you're going back with them."

Lucy snarled. "You're kidding me. I'm not leaving here until I ki-"

Natsu cut her off before she could finish that sentence. "You're injured Lucy."

"I'm fine!"

But before they could continue to argue, the sound of Jose's voice pierced through the air.

"None of you are going anywhere with her."

Lucy turned back towards the building and finally noticed how massive it was. Made of brick, steel and stone, it towered at least five stories high. Though that wasn't what her eyes focused on. Instead, they were staring at the massive cannon that was now pointed in their direction.

"Let me introduce you to Jupiter." Jose said. "The magic convergent cannon."

The cannon started to glow, a large orb of light centralizing at its end.

"Obliterate."

The Fairy Tail members that came all started to panic.

"Everyone! Get down!" Erza shouted. She ran to the front of the group, arms wide as the cannon was about to shoot. "Exquip!" Erza's entire body glowed before a suit of adamantine armour surrounded her body, equipped with a full shield.

"She can't be!" Jellal wanted to run after her, but Gray held him down.

"You've got to trust her!" Gray shouted. Jellal gritted his teeth, but stayed put.

The cannon fired, a sharp beam of light travelling straight towards their group. All of them gasped as the force struck Erza straight dead on. With a loud cry, Erza was propelled backwards and rolled roughly along the ground until she stopped, her armour cracked and broken.

Jupiter was blocked.

Jellal immediately broke free of Gray's grasp and ran towards her. "Erza!" She was battered, bruised and out of commission, but she was alive. Jellal let out a sigh of relief as he held Erza's body to his.

Lucy was shocked. "She blocked the entire blast…" That level of power was insane.

Next to her, Natsu grinned. "That's Erza for you!"

But Mira didn't look convinced that this was over. She reached into her bag, pulling out a large crystal ball. Lucy was confused. What was that thing? Mira poured some of her magic into the ball and seconds later Laxus' face appeared.

…Was that the mage's version of a cellphone?

From where Lucy was, Laxus looked annoyed. "What do you want Mira? I'm still on my mission."

"Laxus we need your help. Phantom Lord is trying to take Lucy!"

Right on cue, Jose's voice resonated throughout the valley. "Hand over Lucille Heartphilia. Right now."

A couple of them gasped as soon as they heard her last name. Lucy gritted her teeth. Even though that man's business was associated with mundanes, the name Heartphilia couldn't be missed anywhere. It was strewn all over the ads throughout the entire country.

Though apparently one person had yet to make the connection. "What do you even want Lucy for?!" Natsu shouted.

Jose chuckled. "You Fairies don't know what's hiding underneath your very noses. Your little 'Lucy' is just a runaway heiress. Heiress to the largest telecommunications company in Fiore. We are simply being a nice guild and returning her to her father. So. Hand her over."

The rest of the guild started to protest. "You're out of your mind!" "Lucy's our nakama!"

Lucy's nails dug into the palms and her shoulders shook uncontrollably. From fear, embarrassment, disgrace? No. If she was still Lucy she would have looked to her nakama in astonishment. But she couldn't be Lucy here. Not anymore.

Lucille continued to chuckle. And her laughter grew louder until the rest of the guild was staring at her in confusion. Her shoulders continued to shake. "That's what he told you? That I was a runaway heiress?" She continued to laugh until she was sure she sounded hysterical. "I think you've got your facts wrong."

Lucille stood out in front of the crowd, ignoring Natsu's protests behind her.

"What do you mean?" Jose asked, his voice lowered.

Lucille smirked. "You must have got the wrong memo, because I didn't run away from home. My dear. Lovely. Father. Sold me like cattle."

She heard Natsu's gasp behind her.

Lucille laughed. "He sold me more than ten years ago!" Her arms spread out wide beside her. "And do you know where? Oh...he didn't tell you? Probably because it's the biggest stain in his life." She smirked. "Tartaros. Perhaps you've heard of them?" The ones behind her certainly did, seeing as their gasps travelled quickly through the wind. But Jose remained silent, perhaps too stunned to respond.

"I don't think you really know who you're trying to kidnap, _Jose_ ," Lucille smirked, slight pain evidence in her voice. "My life at Tartaros wasn't all flowers and games." She paused, her voice darkening afterwards. "I'm a murderer. I've got more blood on my hands than can ever be atoned for." She stepped forward. "And _you're next._ "

She started to head towards the castle, but Natsu grabbed her arm, holding her back. "Lucy don't!"

Lucille snarled, whipping around. "Natsu let go. Or I'll hurt you too."

Natsu flinched, but he remained firm. "Lucy this isn't you."

"You don't know the real me," Lucille said.

"We don't care." Lucille turned her head towards Erza. "From the day you were accepted into Fairy Tail, you were our nakama." Erza pulled herself up to a sitting position. "And we'd rather die than give up on our comrade!"

"Our answer won't change no matter what!" Natsu shouted.

Lucille breathed heavily, trying to clear her head. "You people are all insane," she whispered.

Jose finally answered. "How…sentimental. But murderer or not, I will be sending you back to your father. The payment is all I care about. Stand there all you want, but all we'll do is fire an even bigger and stronger Jupiter! Now struggle in fear for this is the last fifteen minutes you'll have."

"They're going to fire again!" Gray exclaimed through gritted teeth.

Mira turned back towards the crystal ball, Laxus still on the other end. "Laxus, help us!"

Laxus narrowed his eyes. "I'm two towns away."

Mira frowned, her brows furrowed in worry. "If only the Master wasn't away on a summit."

Lucille laughed after hearing Laxus' voice. "I don't need your help. I can take care of this myself." Twisting around, Lucille elbowed Natsu hard, causing him to let go. She made a run towards Phantom's castle. With a sharp whistle, Naberius flew down from the sky, picking her up.

"Lucy!" She heard Natsu shout, but she was already on her way.

"Damn it!" Laxus cursed. His face turned towards Mira's. "Ten minutes. Hold out for ten minutes."

Mira nodded, but that was easier said than done. She turned towards the sky when shadows started coming towards them.

"Natsu!" Erza commanded. "Follow Lucy! We'll take care of these soldiers down here. Find a way to stop Jupiter!"

Natsu nodded, signalling for Happy to carry him towards the castle.

Jellal stood up, walking forwards. His eyes burned with rage and his magic flared. "There's no need. Leave Jupiter to me."

* * *

Lucille landed inside the castle on the fourth floor. Sending Naberius back to the underworld, she swiftly made her way through the halls. She winced when a large explosion rocked the walls. _Just what were they doing out there?_ They better keep the castle intact long enough so that she could find Jose.

She weaved through the stone halls until she reached a large open room. Lucille snarled. In her path was the blue-haired woman who had imprisoned her.

"Juvia will not let you pass."

Lucille cracked her knuckles, before reaching to her cuffs. "I won't fall for your tricks twice." She pressed hard into her cuffs, feeling the familiar pain shoot through her wrists. "Water was it?"

Lucille's vision focused upon the swirling whirlpool in front of her. A towering gate of blue coral and seaweed rose up from its depths.

"Open! The Second Demon Gate of the Serpent! Leviathan!"

Inky black-blue water burst into the room, flooding the surrounding area.

Lucille wasn't surprised to see the woman's eyes wide with shock. "What is that?"

"The demon of the sea."

Leviathan roared as it curled up towards the ceiling. "Brat. You've neglected me for too long!"

Lucille gestured towards Juvia. "Then get your fill now."

Leviathan snorted, steam coming out of her nostrils. "Don't tell me what to do."

Juvia's eyes narrowed as she stared at the new addition to the fight. "Juvia won't be intimidated by a sea monster."

"Sea monster?!" Leviathan bellowed. "Oh…you'll regret calling me that." The water levels rose just as the sea serpent shot towards her enemy.

Juvia looked confident and allowed for Leviathan to pass straight through her body. But moments later, she let out a cry, dropping to her knees. "What is happening to Juvia?"

Leviathan laughed. "My waters come straight from Hell, human. Don't assume that they'll always be pure."

Juvia coughed. "It's…poisoned." She straightened up just as Leviathan circled around again.

Lucille smiled. It amazed her how much her demons had grown in the past two months. "It was your mistake to come for me." _You deserve it._

But just as Leviathan was nearing the water mage, Juvia sent a burst of water into the steel below her. Unable to take the pressure, the steel creaked and twisted until it broke, sending Juvia to the floor below.

"Don't let her escape!" Lucille yelled.

Leviathan snorted. "As if I need you to tell me that." The serpent moved towards the hole, but-

"Iron Dragon's Club!"

Suddenly a large iron-like arm collided with Leviathan's body, causing her to recoil and roar in pain. Lucille immediately turned towards the end of the room.

"I don't know what the hell you are and what sort of crazy magic you've got here, but I gotta hand it to you. You've got guts running back in here." Gajeel shot her a nasty grin as he entered into the room.

Lucille snarled. "You will pay for what you did to me." She raised a hand and Leviathan made her move, sending swirling columns of black water towards the man. He grunted but stood firm as the water made contact. Lucille's eyes widened as his body turned to solid iron. What sort of magic is this?

Even Leviathan's poisonous water had no effect. It failed to penetrate his iron body.

Lucille gritted her teeth. "Leviathan return." She couldn't afford wasting her magic if it wasn't going to work. Leviathan snarled, baring her sharp teeth, but she obeyed, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Gajeel smirked at her before he shot a pillar of iron towards her. Lucille managed to dodge at the last second, twisting to the side. For the next couple of moments, the tables were turned, Lucille being forced to defend. It wasn't doing her stamina any good. Wendy only managed to heal her physical wounds and failed to increase her endurance.

She had just spun out of the way of another attack, when a sharp pain shot through her brain.

 _Ojou-sama. I can offer assistance._

Lucille focused her attention purely on the voice inside her head, knowing what it was. She pressed hard on her cuffs and tried to envision the gate, but-

 _You are too wasteful. I will not be out for long if you do not reel your power in._

Wasteful? Lucille grunted as she dodged another attack.

 _Concentrate your magic._

She didn't know exactly what that meant, but she tried to hold in her magic, focusing it into a point instead of forcing it out like she normally did. Finally, her vision cleared and she saw a looming gate that was almost transparent as if it were made purely of air. Holding her hands out she felt the blood travel towards her palms. She gasped in surprise when opening the gate felt just as easy as pushing open a door.

The words came to the forefront of her mind.

"Open! Fourth Demon Gate of the Void! Valea!"

Lucille felt a burst of wind blast against her face, but almost immediately afterwards it disappeared, taking the air in the room with it. And in front of her stood…a little girl?!

Gajeel howled in laughter. "Demon?! This sorry excuse of girl is what you call a demon?"

Lucille couldn't even come up with a retort. The girl in front of her had hair the colour of snow and wore a flowing dress just as white. Compared to all the other demons she had summoned; this was not what she expected.

"Appearances can often fool. Human." Valea's voice was expressionless and empty. When she turned towards her, Lucille saw that her eyes were a bright red and they too were blank. The girl turned back towards Gajeel, who was still laughing at the situation.

Valea slowly raised her hand. "One cannot laugh without air."

Lucille glanced towards the man and her eyes widened in surprise when he suddenly choked up, his hands moving towards his neck as if he couldn't breathe. His eyes started to ball, and his face went pale.

Lucille was astonished. Valea had literally removed the air around him.

Gajeel dropped to his knees and Lucille was certain that he would pass out, but his arm shot out in a last move of desperation, the pole of iron striking Valea's tiny body. The demon exhaled as it was knocked backwards.

Gajeel let out a large gasp of air. Valea must have lost her concentration.

"What the hell are you woman?" Gajeel wheezed as he returned to his feet. He started to stumble towards them, but Lucille ran towards Valea, standing in between them.

"You've picked a fight with the wrong woman," Lucille snarled, her eyes flashing with rage. How dare he attack one of her demons! She didn't have her knives with her, but she wouldn't doubt her ability to strangle the man…and finish what Valea had started. "I'm not like the rest. I don't hesitate to kill."

Gajeel's eyes flashed, as if he was surprised with her words.

Lucille turned her head when she felt a hand on her arm. Valea had returned to her feet.

"Ojou-sama. May I have permission to get angry?" Valea asked, her voice still hollow. Her eyes betrayed no emotion as she spoke.

Lucille furrowed her brows, unsure of what she meant. "Y-Yes." She stumbled back a step when pure rage flashed across Valea's previously empty eyes.

Lucille felt a sudden pull against her magic, the likes of which she normally felt from opening one of the Nine Demon Gates. Harsh winds materialized inside the room, causing Lucille to close her eyes. When she opened them again, she gasped as the girl of white was no longer present. In her place was a massive double headed griffin. Its upper body appeared to be of eagle origin, including the presence of imposing wings. Its lower half was like that of a lion. A harsh contrast from the previous white, Valea's body was now a pure black.

Lucille finally understood. This was Valea's _true_ demon form.

Valea's beaks curled into cruel smiles. "Ojou. It's been a while since I've been angry." She turned towards Gajeel who was staring at her with horror. She cackled. "Human! You will pay for angering me!" Valea flapped her wings and blades of wind raced towards the man.

Gajeel held up his iron arms in defense, but roared in pain as the wind cut through his iron. "How is this possible?!"

"Mere steel is not strong enough for the winds of Hell!" Valea circled around the room and immediately tornadoes descended towards the man.

Gajeel cried out as the winds sliced through his body, blood spilling to the ground.

Lucille smiled, knowing that revenge was being dealt twice fold to the man who had tortured her. He deserved every bit of this. But as the familiar waves of dizziness overcame her, Valea's winds lost strength. She had summoned too many this night.

Valea clicked her tongue and with a burst of wind, she returned to her human form, clad once again in pure white. The winds calmed and a soft silence rested over the air. All trace of anger left her eyes.

"Ojou-sama. Do I have permission to kill?" Her voice returned to its emotionless state. Lucille was a little thrown off by the change in behaviour, but she had more important things at hand. But before she could answer with a 'yes', she heard her name being shouted.

"Lucy don't!" Lucille turned towards the doors of the room just as Natsu entered. His eyes were wide open as he stared at her.

"Natsu, stay out of this!"

"You promised me you wouldn't do this anymore!" Natsu shouted. He ran towards her, Happy following right behind him. But before he could reach her, Lucille heard crunching from behind her. She turned around just to see…the man eating the floor?!

"What are you?" Lucille snarled.

Happy gasped, his paw to his mouth. "You're just like Natsu!"

Gajeel's laugh was tinged with darkness. "I'm Phantom Lord's resident iron dragon slayer." Already his wounds were closing. The iron he ate healed him. His eyes darkened with anger.

Valea lifted her hand again.

"No Lucy!" Natsu shouted.

His voice caused Valea to pause, affected by Lucille's emotions. Lucille snarled. "You think I can just let this go?!"

"Lucy please!" Natsu pleaded. "I will handle this. Trust me."

Valea's arm twitched.

"Trust me!"

Lucille gritted her teeth, breathing heavily as her eyes squeezed shut. She tried to calm the rage inside of her.

"Fine," Lucy said, her eyes opening again.

Valea remained emotionless in the wake of Lucy's change in demeanor, but her hand started to lower. But that short moment of hesitation was enough for Gajeel to move. Before Lucy could react, two sharp iron knives flew towards her. She tried to dodge, but her dizziness stalled her actions. She closed her eyes and waited for the pain, but she felt herself being knocked over. She turned to see Natsu on top of her.

Lucy froze at the anger that blazed in his eyes.

Natsu was no longer paying attention to her. "I convinced her not to kill you. And this is what you do in return?!"

Gajeel chuckled. "Don't be so naïve. Salamander was it? I've heard all about you. I've been looking forward to fighting you. Maybe after you're dead I'll take my sweet time torturing the little princess again."

Natsu growled before leaping into battle. Lucy watched for a couple of moments as they exchanged blows. She motioned for Valea to aid, but Happy placed a paw to her arm. "Lucy you need to rest. Please leave this to Natsu." Lucy turned to Happy, his eyes pleading. Exhaling, Lucy waved a hand. Valea merely blinked at her before returning to the underworld in a wisp of shadow. Happy beamed.

But it only took a few minutes to notice that Natsu was struggling. The fight wasn't fair with Gajeel being able to stock up on iron whether he felt like it.

Happy frowned. "Natsu…he needs fire. If only he had fire he would win!"

Fire. Lucy perked up. "Fire…" She knew her magic reserves were still really low, but if she was able to concentrate and focus her magic again then just maybe…

Lucy looked to her cuffs and took a deep breath, focusing her magic again. Pressing down gently, she envisioned the towering gate made of flames. Pushing forward with ease, the words came to her.

"Open! First Demon Gate of the Beast! Ifrit!"

Flames swirled in front of her and when they subsided a bulky man stood in front of her with short crimson red hair and black clothing. When he turned towards her he gave her a leery grin.

"Ojou-chan," Ifrit sent her a suggestive wink. "I see you're able to summon us in human form now."

Lucy shivered at his lecherous gave before pointing towards Natsu. Even though the pull was much less, Lucy knew she didn't have much magic left to sustain the demon. "Not now Ifrit. I need fire."

Ifrit turned towards Natsu and grinned. "Then fire you shall have!" Flames swirled around his hands before shooting straight for Natsu. They weren't as strong as they were when Ifrit was in his true demon form, but they were enough.

"Oi!" Gajeel shouted. "That's not fair!"

Natsu leapt straight for the flames and inhaled them in one go, coughing profusely afterwards. "Spicy!" He wheezed, but grinned widely. "Now I'm all fired up!"

Lucy watched in awe as the next couple of minutes became an exact mirror of their previous fight. Natsu's flames danced with fury as they collided with Gajeel's iron. It was incredible.

At one point, Natsu turned back towards her.

"Lucy! Head back to Wendy and them! I've got this!"

Lucy nodded, sending Ifrit back to conserve energy. She told Happy to stay behind and make sure Natsu was okay. Happy agreed and Lucy headed out…but towards a different exit. As she walked a gentle calm fell over her.

Lucille turned, looking back towards Natsu. "Sorry Natsu, but I've got a score to settle first," she whispered, before heading down the hallway. She didn't care if she didn't have any magic left.

She was going to find Jose…and kill him.

* * *

Lucille coughed as another shower of dust and dirt fell from the ceiling. She had no idea what the others were doing to the castle, but as long as it didn't collapse she didn't care. She continued down the hallway, hoping to find her way to where Jose would be.

She held a hand above her eyes to shield them from the light just as she entered another bright room. Her eyes focused on the man sitting on the throne right in the middle, waiting for her.

"Jose."

Jose's lips curled into a nasty smile. "Miss Heartfilia. How lovely of you to present yourself to me. Makes it much easier than capturing you again."

"I don't think you want to mess with me," Lucille snarled. "You have no idea what you're dealing with. All of this, is larger than both of us."

Jose shook his head. "All I want is my money. All I need to do is keep you here and collect ransom until the entire Heartfilia fortune is in my hands."

Lucille laughed hysterically. Money. Everything is always about money. This man was too naïve, especially for one who was trying to be a thief. "You think the Heartfilia fortune belongs to my father?" She started towards the man, the heels in her boots clicking against the metal floor. "You people from this side of the city are so…simple." She smiled at the frown Jose sent her way. "The Heartfilia fortune stopped belonging to my father the moment he signed the deal with the devil."

Jose snarled. "What do you mean?"

Lucille sighed, her impatience showing. "Do I really have to repeat myself? Me and my father's money? We belong to Tartaros. And I don't think you want to know what happens when you steal from Tartaros." _That's right. No matter where she ran, she still belonged to Tartaros._

Jose's eyes widened slightly, but narrowed moments later. "I don't take well to threats young lady."

"It's not a threat," Lucille said. "It's a promise."

Jose roared in anger, before a wave of dark magic spurred towards Lucille. Unable to dodge, Lucille cried out in pain as the strings of darkness grabbed hold of her limbs. She struggled, but with each move pain shot through her body.

Jose chuckled. "The more you struggle, the tighter its grip become."

"This pain," Lucille breathed. "Is nothing."

"Then feel free to experience more!" Jose shouted. "Dark pulse!"

Lucille gritted her teeth as she watched the arc of darkness race towards her. She struggled against her bindings, but it was no use. She was out of magic and unable to move. In that moment she cursed at how weak she was, despite how far she thought she had come.

She braced herself, waiting for the blow to hit, but suddenly she heard the sky rumble even from inside the castle. A crack of lightning struck in front of her and collided with the pulse of dark magic just as it was about to strike her.

Lucille breathed a sigh of relief, even though she didn't want to admit that she was glad to see him. "Laxus."

She could hear the amusement laced in his voice even though his back was to her. "A little overconfident about your abilities, Princess. Taking on a guild master? That's way beyond what you're capable of."

Lucille snorted just as the bindings around her loosened after being electrocuted. She landed on the ground with a soft thud. "When has that ever stopped me?"

Laxus chuckled before he straightened up, his attention focusing on Jose in front of him.

Jose sneered. "So you're Makarov's brat. Don't think you'd be able to take me on either. I'm on par with your grandfather. No, I'm better than that old man."

Laxus snarled. "Don't worry. I'm nothing like my Gramps." His body turned to lightning as he burst forward. Light collided with dark.

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"

"Dark Wave!"

Watching the dragon slayer fight never failed to amaze Lucille. She sat there, hands to the ground as they supported her body, eyes wide as she watched them fight. A large explosion of their power had her wincing as the castle threatened to collapse. The walls unfortunate enough to be hit started to crumble.

Both men were panting when they stood across from each other once again.

Jose grinned. "Impressive. For a brat."

Laxus turned and spit out blood, before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "You underestimate me."

Lucille gasped when she suddenly felt the magic power in the room increase. The air grew charged with electricity that then gathered around Laxus' body.

Laxus spoke calmly. "Apparently this is the Fairy Tail custom. You get to the count of three." The muscles in Laxus' body bulged impossibly larger. "Kneel." His voice boomed throughout the room.

"Ohh?" Jose raised his brow, clearly unamused.

"One." Laxus' hands centered in front of his body and a sphere of pure golden light began to gather in his palms.

Jose didn't bend. "Ahaha. I was wondering what nonsense you would sprout, but you're asking me to kneel?!"

Laxus didn't stop counting. "Two." Lucille felt the need to back up, but her body no longer obeyed her wishes.

"You want me to kneel before you?! A brat! I'm the stronger one here!"

"Three." The light continued to grow, almost blinding her with its intensity.

"You should be the one to kneel before me! Die! Fairy Tail!"

Laxus clapped his hands together. "That's enough." Pillars of light surrounded the lightning dragon slayer.

"Fairy Law. Activate."

The clouds in the sky parted and pure light shown down upon the castle. All those still fighting outside stood in awe, hands shielding their eyes from the blinding light.

"Fairy Law…" Erza gasped. Jose's soldiers of darkness began to fade, evaporated by the holy light. "It's holy light cleanses those filled with evil and malice. The mage who invokes this spell can selectively choose their targets, differentiating between friend or foe."

Mira smiled. "Laxus..."

Moments later the sky calmed and sun shined with the breaking of dawn. Inside the throne room, Jose stood stiff as a rock, completely pale. His face was frozen in a perpetual state of fear.

"Just try messing with Fairy Tail again and you'll regret it," Laxus growled. He turned around to face Lucille, sending her an arrogant grin. "Impressed yet?"

Lucille scowled at him then snorted. "So you can conjure up fireworks on demand. Hardly what I would consider impressive." She yelped when she was hoisted over Laxus' shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Let me down! I'm fine!"

Laxus grip merely tightened as he started to walk out of the castle. "Says the woman who merely sat there while I did all the work."

Lucille's hands fisted into Laxus' shirt. She exhaled. "I need to stop being so weak." That earned her a smack on the ass. Lucille scowled, but she knew he wouldn't see it.

"You just started honing your magic two months ago Princess. You're being quite harsh on yourself."

"If you didn't show up, my weakness would have killed me."

"Your recklessness would have killed you. Taking on a guild master. Seriously? Would it kill you to rely on someone for once?"

Lucille didn't know what to say.

Laxus sighed. "I think they've proven that they can be relied on." He turned to the side and Lucille finally realized that they were standing right on the edge of the castle, overlooking the ground below where the rest of the guild members stood.

That's right. They had come for her today…

Lucille shook her head, looking away. "They won't be so willing to help now that they know who I truly am." When she looked up again she realized that she was already standing on her own two feet in front of the rest of the guild. How the hell had she gotten there so fast?

She tried to bolt, but she felt strong hands gripping the sides of her biceps, holding her in place.

"Own up to your problems Princess."

Lucille sighed. She waited for her punishment.

Erza was the first to step up, her body still covered in bandages. Lucille waited for the strike, but to her surprise it didn't come. Instead Erza spoke to her. "I cannot condone your actions of the past Lucy, but here at Fairy Tail, we believe in redemption."

Lucille heard the thundering of her own heart within her ears when Erza extended a hand towards her. "Let's go home Lucy." She stared at the hand in front of her, her vision clouding as moisture gathered in front of her eyes. _No. Tears are for the weak._

"I'm a murderer." Lucille whispered.

"I see no dead in front of us."

A sharp pang shot through Lucille's heart and a lone tear trailed down the side of her right cheek. Gray, soaking wet and missing a shirt, stepped up next to Erza, his hand extended as well. "Let's go home Lucy."

Lucille's shoulders shook wildly as she tried to hold her emotions in. This gesture was so similar, this small glimpse of hope that opened up to her again. How could they be so forgiving even though they knew nothing of what she has done? What she was capable of?

When Natsu stepped forward, his unmistakeable grin wide on his face, Lucille knew she had lost. The all familiar hand reached out to her.

"Let's go home. Lucy."

She felt the grip on her arms loosening and she stumbled forward.

Tears streaming down her face, Lucy collapsed into their arms.

 _Maybe...just maybe...I can belong to Fairy Tail instead._

* * *

 _ **A/N: Holy, keeping track of Lucy/Lucille is tougher than I thought. Apologies if it got confusing, but it probably won't be that back and forth in the future. Also, I kept Phantom Lord scenes to a minimum since I didn't want to repeat manga that much. I just wanted Gajeel and Juvia, so people besides them were pretty irrelevant to me LOL. You can guess who Juvia ran into after she fell through the floor ;D**_

 ** _PS. Valea is made up. Though her human appearance is inspired by Kanna from Inuyasha if you want a visual._**

 _ **Exam update: Two weeks left until I write. Barely surviving. Someone please write it for me...**_


	17. Remembrance

**Chapter 17**

Lucy grumbled as she felt something poke against her cheek. She swatted a hand in that general direction, wanting to sleep for a couple more minutes, but that sensation returned a few seconds later, followed by an impatient huff and a light giggle.

"Lucy…"

Was someone calling her name? She didn't care. She was much too exhausted to get up. Her body was still sore from getting beaten by Phantom's Gajeel. Beaten, not tortured. No, she reserved that term for a special someone.

"Lucy…"

She swatted her hand out again. "Go away."

"But its almost noon! You can't sleep forever!"

"Yes I can." It was a weekend; she didn't have class. Regardless, even if it was a weekday, Wendy hadn't deemed her well enough to attend yet.

"Lucy!"

Lucy cracked open an eye, knowing exactly who was bothering her by now. A wide toothy grin greeted her. Her vision was still slightly blurry, but Happy looked to be behind him. She didn't exactly own a lot of blue in her room. "What do you want Natsu…"

"Let's go to the guild! You haven't been since…you know."

She knew. She mostly hadn't been going because – "I don't want to."

"Why not? I – we missed you!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Ya Lucy!" Happy whined. "Everyone's been asking if you're okay."

Lucy was too sleepy to notice Natsu's stutter. She frowned before turning away from the pair. "Because I don't." Even though Erza, Gray and Natsu may have accepted her for who she was – though she wasn't one hundred percent sure that they did – that didn't guarantee the others would. She could hear it now. 'Murderer', 'dark mage', 'monster'. All terms that she would completely agree with.

Natsu seemed to sense her distress. It was weird, he had a keen sense for that. "No one blames you for anything Lucy." He told her how the Master had blown up after coming home to hear that they had acted against another guild, but his demeanor completely changed when he heard the entire story. Almost immediately, he contacted the Magic Council and had Phantom Lord disbanded for illegal actions, such as kidnapping.

Lucy let out a half-hearted snort, pulling the covers over her head. She felt relief over the treatment of Phantom and was glad that they wouldn't have the chance to get back at her. But that still doesn't change much for her at Fairy Tail. "So? That doesn't change how they feel about me. You don't know how they'll react when they see me." A portion of her sentence may have been muffled by the blankets.

Natsu sighed. "I just do okay?"

Lucy didn't respond. Which apparently wasn't the right answer for two seconds later her covers were thrown off, and she was tackled by the dragon slayer into a warm hug. "Natsu what are you doing?!"

"A hug," Natsu said, staring down at her. "It made you feel better last time."

Lucy raised a sarcastic brow, though she made no move to throw him off. "Which is why you decided to invite yourself to another one?"

Natsu grinned. "Yup!" He pulled her tighter to him. "Feeling better yet?"

Truthfully speaking, Lucy felt like she was melting in a furnace. But…a really soothing furnace. It was weird, but she didn't hate it. "If I say yes will you be satisfied and get off me?"

A glint flashed through Natsu's eyes. "No." Then his grin widened. For a second Lucy wanted to run, but since he was practically straddling her, there was nowhere to go. She stiffened when his hands drifted down towards her waist then…

Lucy twisted and screamed while his fingers wreaked havoc on her sides. She couldn't stop the laughter and giggles that escaped her lips. At some point even Happy joined in. By then she could no longer breathe.

"O-Okay! I give, I give!" Lucy wheezed, trying to take in air. She let out a sigh of relief when the hands stopped. "I'm better now, happy?"

Natsu beamed. "Yes, very." The pair stared at each other for a few short moments until they both realized the position they were in. A tinge of red gracing his cheeks, Natsu quickly sprang off to the side.

Lucy sat up onto her elbows and turned to Natsu with a soft smile. "Thanks Natsu…" It still surprised her how easy it was for Natsu to cheer her up.

"Y-You're welcome," Natsu stuttered, hiding his face in his white scaled scarf.

"Let's go to the guild now!" Happy exclaimed, circling impatiently in the air.

Lucy gave them a nod before getting dressed and letting herself be dragged towards the guild.

* * *

It was a normal day for the guild. Loud brawls, obnoxious laughter…the usual. It was still the afternoon so the guild wasn't yet open to mundanes. Lucy was a little overwhelmed when she first arrived. Everyone swarmed her, asking her if she was alright. She didn't know how to respond, a little surprised that it was like Natsu said – they really were worried about her.

It was a nice feeling.

Things had settled down soon afterwards, and she sat off to the side with Natsu while Happy flew off to present a new fish he caught to Charle. Lucy happily sipped on a strawberry milkshake courtesy of Mira – on the house. But midway through her smoothie, the doors to the guild suddenly slammed open. Everyone turned towards the entrance, where a man stood, carrying a woman on his back.

Lucy shot to her feet, joined immediately afterwards by Natsu, whose teeth were already bared.

"What are you doing here?!"

Gajeel's eyes flickered towards Lucy before he addressed the guild in general. He seemed less threatening than Lucy remembered. In fact, he appeared worried, or perhaps even frightened. His eyes darted throughout the guild as if looking for something…or someone.

"I know you guys have a healer," Gajeel grunted, as he shifted the person on his back. "Where is she?"

Gray stepped up. "Why do we have to help you? You tortured Lucy, and your guild almost killed us all!" The others all shouted in protest, focused entirely on the ex-Phantom. But Lucy's concentration was on the mess of blue hair sprawled over the man's shoulder.

Was that...?

Gajeel growled. "I don't give a damn what you think of me." He shifted and lowered the person on his back to the ground. "Just help her! Please!"

Lucy's hunch was proven true as soon as she saw the woman's face. She remembered her. Juvia. But something was off. Her face had gone pale, and her lips tinged a light purple. Sweat dripped down her forehead and she looked absolutely frail…like she was dying.

Gray gasped as he stepped closer, his face contorted in what Lucy deemed to be a mixture of surprise and...worry? Had Gray met this woman? "What happened to her?" Lucy caught the tail end of what he whispered underneath his breath. "She looked fine after I defeated her..."

Lucy knew exactly what had happened to her. It was her fault after all. Leviathan's poison must still be running through her veins. Juvia strained to turn to Lucy, staring at her through heavy-lidded eyes. Lucy flinched, waiting for her to expose her to the rest of the guild.

Juvia's voice came out raspy. "J-Juvia drank something b-bad. S-she doesn't know e-exactly what…"

Lucy's eyes widened. Why would she lie…

Gajeel growled down at the blue-haired woman. "Quit your yappin you're only going to make it worse." He started to push against the crowd. "Where is your healer?!"

"I-I'm here!" Wendy shouted. She pushed through the assembly and dropped to her knees next to Juvia's body. "I'll do what I can, but we'll need to call Porlyusica-san." Her hands hovered over Juvia's body, glowing a soft blue as Wendy worked her healing magic. Already Juvia's face regained some colour, though her lips remained a light violet.

Mira shouted from the bar. "I just called her. She'll be here in ten minutes. Gray! Can you help bring Juvia to the infirmary?"

Gray nodded. He bent down to pick Juvia up, to which she was oddly happy about, but Gajeel growled at him. Gray looked up. "Don't worry I won't hurt her."

Gajeel glared at him. "You better not, or you'll regret it."

Gray nodded, ignoring the hostility. He picked Juvia up, but she grew limp as a noodle in his arms. "O-Oi are you alright?"

Juvia struggled a smile. "J-Juvia is all better now that she is with G-Gray-sama!" Lucy thought she was hallucinating when she saw hearts materialize in her eyes. But that was impossible.

Lucy raised a brow. When had those two gotten so familiar with each other? A shudder flowed down Gray's spine. Whether that was due to disgust or some other emotion, Lucy didn't know.

Gajeel wanted to follow, but the rest of the guild held him back.

Natsu growled defensively. "We're not done yet. Talk."

Gajeel grunted as his arms crossed over his chest. "You should already know. Phantom disbanded, Jose fled. We laid low for a couple of days, but Juvia got worse by the day. I've heard you have a healer. So I came here."

Lucy narrowed her eyes when she caught odd shuffling from underneath Gajeel's shirt. But a tiny black cat wasn't what she expected to appear.

"Hurry up and apologize to the people Gajeel," the black cat huffed as he wiggled out of the shirt and flew into the air toting a miniature sword over his back. Another flying cat?! "I told you not to do it, but you did it anyways. When I was out on a mission too."

"Ah!" Happy shouted. "Another exceed!"

Gajeel grumbled. "Shut up Lily. I was getting to that." He walked towards Lucy. She stiffened, but she didn't back down. Beside her, Natsu wanted to step forward, but Lucy held him back with a touch of her hand on his arm. Gajeel glared at her for a few moments before 'Lily' smacked him on top of his head. "Gajeel."

"Fine, fine," Gajeel said, exasperated. "I…I'm sorry okay woman? I was just following orders."

"Following orders…" Lucy repeated, her voice trailing off. She wasn't a stranger to following orders.

Natsu frowned. "Well…if you apologized then…" He looked conflicted. Lucy wanted to roll her eyes at how forgiving the pink haired boy was. But then again, he somehow forgave all of her actions in a heartbeat. She shouldn't be surprised.

A voice boomed through the bar. "And where will you go now?" Everyone turned around to face the Master standing on top of the second floor railing. Laxus was standing with his arms crossed beside him. Lucy looked up and caught Laxus' eye before his shifted towards the iron dragon slayer.

Gajeel shrugged. "The hell if I know."

Makarov smiled. "Then why don't you and your friend stay? I don't condone the actions of your past-"

Some of the guild members looked a little worried, but Erza stepped forward, speaking words that were very familiar to Lucy. "But we believe in redemption."

Gajeel frowned, hesitating in his reply. Lily turned to him, determined. "Gajeel just accept. Juvia is still very ill, and you have nowhere to go now that Phantom Lord is gone."

Gajeel looked at them all in disbelief. It was an expression Lucy was familiar with. She figured it was one that she made when she first considered staying. His eyes flickered over to hers, but Lucy made no move to protest. And, like she had eventually, he caved a few seconds later. "…Fine. We'll stay."

There were still a few wary looks sent his way, but for the most part people were welcoming. How could they not be? They were Fairy Tail.

But while Lucy didn't protest his decision to stay - since it wasn't up to her - she still had a score to settle with the man. Gajeel seemed to sense her glare and for a minute they stood with their eyes locked in a silent staring contest. Until Lucy spoke. "That face of yours. Is it made of iron too?"

Gajeel's iron pierced brow raised, apparently understanding what she was getting at. "Not right now it ain't."

Lucy's lips curled upwards. "Good." She took a step forward, then proceeded to sucker punch the man in the face. Shaking her hand out afterwards she exhaled. "It's not even close to what I wanted to do to you, but that's good enough." She turned around, only to notice that the rest of the guild had gone eerily silent. Everyone was staring at her with their jaws dropped to the floor.

"Lucy started a fight…" Natsu whispered, before his grin widened on his face. "Lucy started a fight!" The rest of the guild roared and cheered, and somehow, things returned to normal. A few people came up to her to congratulate her. Lucy didn't quite understand, but it felt as though starting a guild fight - or something similiar - appeared to be something akin to a right of passage.

These people are weird.

Gajeel walked up behind her, nursing his now bleeding nose and black eye. "You pack quite the crazy punch woman. I like that."

Lucy snorted. "You don't know anything."

Gajeel chuckled as he walked past her. "Honestly, I don't think I wanna know." He parked himself at one of the tables at the very corner of the guild.

Someone tapped Lucy on the shoulder. She almost yelped when she turned around to see a man-sized version of what looked like a black panther.

"Apologies for startling you," he said with a slight nod. "This is my battle form." He held out his hand to her. "My name is Pantherlily. You can call me Lily though." His head turned towards Gajeel. "Don't mind Gajeel. At Phantom, it was customary to never question orders. Now that he's here, I do hope that will change."

Lucy sighed as she confided in Lily, who had now returned to his smaller size. "Well, if I can change, that piece of coal certainly can." She heard Lily chuckle as he flew over to Gajeel.

Lucy returned to her strawberry smoothie, taking another sip as she studied the newest addition to their guild. She raised a brow when Levy walked over, bearing a bag of ice. Gajeel sent her a glare, startling the small woman, though he did grunt a thanks. Levy stuttered out a 'you're welcome' before quickly scurrying back to the bar where Mira was.

This Gajeel was just like her she first joined. Rough, cold and apathetic. Hmph. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. At least he was somewhat normal.

* * *

Later that night, Lucy finally had a moment to herself after returning to her apartment. She sunk into her bathtub, waters lapping against her skin, soothing the aches in her muscles. Despite having things return somewhat to normal, albeit having a new addition to the guild, Lucy was still trying to process everything. Most importantly on why she was kidnapped to begin with.

Her hands gripped into fists underneath the water.

She wouldn't forget what Jose had told her. How it was her father who had sent for her. This was all his fault. And if her father knew where she was…

Lucy shivered. _They_ most likely already knew as well. She stood up stiffly from the bath, water splashing over the sides of the tub and quickly dried off with a towel.

She needed answers.

She grabbed her regular dark clothes and donned her hooded cloak before leaving her apartment. She headed down the street under the cover of darkness.

But she didn't even make it ten steps before she was pulled roughly into an alley. Panicked, Lucy made to grab her knife, but her hands were caught raised above her. She looked up with a glare as soon as she heard his voice.

"Where do you think you're going Princess?" Laxus' stormy blue eyes stood out in the darkness of the alley.

"That's none of your business," Lucy struggled against his hold. "What are you doing here?" They may have struck a strange truce over the past few weeks but that still didn't mean that he was entitled to know exactly where she was going. She gasped when she felt his hand press roughly into her stomach, holding her down. She couldn't stop the shiver that went down her spine at the contact. She cursed her body for responding.

Laxus chuckled, very aware of her reaction. "After all that's happened the past couple of days, you don't think I'd know that you'd do something reckless?" She felt his eyes trail lazily over her body. "You're not dressed to head to Mama's. So where are you going?"

Lucy's eyes locked onto his, unwilling to lose to their staring contest. "Like I said, it's none of your business."

"Your business is my business Princess."

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "I'm not an object to be kept an eye on."

Laxus leaned down and she could feel his breath against her lips. "I'm just here to protect you."

She rolled her eyes. "We both know that's not true." Lucy refused to lose to his heated gaze. "Didn't you say you'd trust me?"

Laxus chuckled. "I said you should trust us. Not that I'd trust you."

Lucy growled. This was getting nowhere. At this rate she'd never be able to get out of this alley without him following her. Eyes lowering, she suddenly had an idea. A sly grin broke out on her face. Laxus backed away, slightly stunned by her sudden change in attitude, but she didn't let him go far. Pushing upwards, she closed the distance between them, crushing her lips to his.

His hand around her wrists loosened slightly from shock and she pulled them free. She was about to flip them around when Laxus suddenly decided that the kiss wasn't enough. Lucy gasped when he nipped at her lips, and he took that moment to plunge his tongue into her mouth. For a moment, Lucy lost sight of her goal as their tongues entangled.

But when she heard her own choked moan, she came back into a panicked focus. Her eyes shot open, though she hadn't even noticed that she had closed them to begin with. His hands were now gripping her waist, but they were loose enough that she had enough room to flip them around. He grunted when she pushed him back against the brick wall. She took a moment to deepen the kiss before she pulled back.

Laxus' eyes were clouded over in a mixture of surprise and lust. Taking advantage of his pause, she only hesitated a moment before she pulled back her leg and kneed him right in the gut. Seeing as he did save her just a couple of days before, she made note not to hit him where it really counted.

Laxus doubled over, probably more in shock than in pain, and she took that opportunity to deal a harsh blow to his head with her elbow. It was just enough force in just the right place to knock him unconscious.

Lucy stepped back, admiring her work as Laxus sunk to the ground. Her tongue subconsciously came out to lick her lips. After taking a second to calm down her body's rising temperature, she leaned Laxus up against the wall of the alley before running off. She called Naberius out, hopping on and letting the demon fly her to her destination.

* * *

The night was cold and bitter, a harsh reminder of the winter to come. The wind bit into her skin as she flew, bright city lights eventually being replaced by starlight. It was a wonder that she still remembered where the estate was, but Lucy assumed the memory was ingrained deep enough inside her that she'd never truly forget. The mansion was north of the city, away from its noise and troubles. As she neared it, she was bombarded by memories that she didn't want resurfaced. Memories of a happier life, of smiles and love.

That life was gone.

Her father made sure of that.

Scowling, she instructed Naberius to let her down right in front of the doors to the mansion before the demon disappeared in a wisp of dark smoke. Lucy stood there, unmoving, and to her expectations, the doors opened minutes later. The servants all stared at her with wide eyes and mouths open in shock.

"Miss Lucille!" An old woman exclaimed before she ran towards her. Lucy didn't quite understand how they all recognized her. It had been more than a decade since she left. Lucy's face scrunched slightly when she felt the woman give her a large hug. She wasn't quite used to affection like that. "You look just like your mother," the woman breathed. Ah, so that's why they recognized her. Lucy allowed herself to be pulled inside the mansion. "Miss, the Master would like to see you in his office."

Lucy scoffed. Of course he would. She followed the old woman down the empty halls, her heels clicking against the marble floor. The sound echoed and sounded cold as it reached her ears. Before long, Lucy found herself standing in front of a set of fancy, white double doors. She let out a huge sigh, before pushing it open.

Her father's office was massive. It was lined with bookshelves on its two sides, with a large floor to ceiling glass window facing the front of the estate. By the window there was a lone desk made of polished dark wood. Each and every item was positioned meticulously. Behind the desk was a large leather chair, and sitting on it, her father.

Neither of them said anything for minutes, merely taking the moment to study each other. The years hadn't been kind to Jude, his age showing in his graying hair and wrinkles.

Finally Jude broke the ice. "You've…grown."

A sharp pang struck Lucy in the chest. After all those years that was all he could say? She scoffed. "Well that is what happens when you leave you child for more than ten years."

Jude winced as if her words had stung him, but Lucy knew better than to trust that he had emotions. "I'm glad to see that you have…returned."

"Is that what you want to call it?"

"What would you prefer?"

"Well anything would be suitable aside from runaway heiress don't you think?"

Jude coughed. "I admit that was a minor fault on my part."

"A minor fault?!" Lucy's voice started to rise, her control slipping. "You call hiring a guild to kidnap your own daughter a minor fault?!"

"How else do you think I'd be able to get my daughter to return to me?"

"Do you honestly think that I'd believe a word of that?!" Lucy shouted. "If you truly wanted your daughter back you would've hired them years ago! Not when I've finally escaped."

Jude no longer looked her in the eye.

Lucy seethed. "Tell me. Tell me exactly why you hired someone to kidnap me."

"Do you really need to hear it?"

"Yes I do, damn it!"

"Because I'm afraid!" Jude screamed as he slammed his desk and stood straight up. He breathed. "I'm afraid." His chest heaved from exertion, his age showing once again when he started to cough.

Lucy felt her throat seize and the cold chill in her veins return. She knew deep down that this was the reason all along, but hearing it straight from her father's lips was the final nail in the coffin. Her father was such a coward. Weak. Pathetic.

Like father, like daughter.

Fear drove action after all.

Jude started to plead with her. "Lucille you have to return. Th-They'll take over my entire business, run me down or even…kill me if I don't obey."

Lucille's eyes were void of life. "You sound just like them."

"What are you talking about?"

"Would you like to know what your daughter has been doing all these years?" Her voice cane out cold and expressionless. She stepped closer. "I've seen men like you, many times before. Like you, they played with the devil, reaped the rewards, but never paid for their riches." She reached the front of his desk, fingers tapping against the polished wood. "And when that happens do you know who they send? Me."

Even without the words, the smoke billowed around her and moments later, Cerberus' growl could be heard.

"Y-You're the-" Jude stumbled backwards.

"So you've heard of me," Lucille smiled. "Then I think we can cut to the chase." Cerberus stalked around the desk, honing in on Jude who still sat frozen in his chair. "If Tartaros comes to ask, stick your tail between your legs and tell them you failed to find me. Leave me the hell alone."

Cerberus growled, causing Jude to flinch.

"Do you understand?"

Jude manage to conjure up a scowl. "How dare you threaten your father like that? Y-You monster!"

Lucille's eyes flashed. "You seized to be my father the moment you sold me to them. Don't forget that. Now I'll only repeat one more time. Do you understand?!"

"Y-Yes," Jude whispered, his body shaking.

"Good. I shall take my leave now." She turned around, Cerberus slowly following behind her. "Good evening…Jude." The white double doors shook on their hinges after she slammed them shut behind her. She walked feverishly down the hallway, not caring that the servants were cowering in fear of the hound that followed behind her.

She thought about leaving right away, but after slight hesitation, she turned around a familiar corner. She continued through the dark corridor until she reached a lone white door. Emblazoned in gold letters was a single name.

 _Lucille._

After sending Cerberus back, Lucille hesitated slightly, her hand hovering over the door knob. With a deep breath, she grasped and opened the door. It creaked as her old room was revealed to her once again. The walls were coloured a soft blue, casting a cool hue over the room. It was dark, but the moon managed to provide a soft glow of light as it streamed in from the glass window. She stepped in slowly, her eyes soaking in her surroundings. She hadn't been in here since she was six. Everything that was so large to her now seemed ordinary, miniscule, unimportant.

Her hands trailed slowly over a wooden cabinet off to the side as she walked by. Her brows furrowed when she noted not a single speck of dust present on her fingers. Not knowing how to feel about that, she continued along, her eyes catching an old children's book. It used to be her favourite. Her mother read it to her all the time when she was younger.

The story spoke of princes and princesses and of magic from the very stars themselves. She turned away in disgust. Stories like that were fake. No one had ever rescued her from her tower.

She breathed in the gentle perfume of lilies - her mother's favourite - as she continued around her room. She paused in front of a set of photographs encased in small, wooden frames. One was of their…family. She saw the younger version of herself sitting on her mother's lap while Jude stood behind the chair with a firm expression. Her mother's smile was radiant and everything she had remembered it being. She was beautiful, pure and bright.

Everything Lucille wasn't.

Taking a deep breath to push back unwanted tears, she moved on to the next photograph. Odd, this one also featured her and her mother, but this time when she was younger, perhaps four? She was being held in her mother's arms. But what confused her was the other man in the picture. He had short black hair and dark solemn eyes. His lips were set in a grim smile towards the camera. It had taken her a moment to remember, but the sight of the white lab coat and thin stethoscope around his neck had sparked her memory.

He was her doctor, and her mother's as well. Lucille had forgotten his name, but he had taken care of her mother, even as her health slowly began to degrade. He spoke to Lucille often as well, always asking how she was whenever he saw her. She wondered why his picture was kept inside her room.

Lucille decided to move on, walking deeper into her room until she reached her old bed. Her blankets were a dark navy and embellished with multiple stars mimicking the vast night sky. She sat down, feeling the mattress give way underneath her and looked towards her night stand. Seeing a familiar box resting on top, Lucille picked it up. The polished wooden box felt heavy in her hands, and as she flipped it open, a soft melody filled the empty silence of the room.

Lucille sat back on the bed, momentarily taken aback by the sweet, gentle sounds of her favourite lullaby. But then a soft gleam from inside the box caught her attention. She looked again and saw three golden keys held together on a silver ring. Lifting the ring into her hands she slowly placed the music box back onto her night stand, the melody still playing softly in the background. She lifted the keys up in front of her.

Lucille gasped. She remembered these keys. They belonged to her mother. She remembered their sparkling jingle wherever her mother went, resting gently at her hip. She didn't remember what they were for, but she knew they were special. Why were they in her music box?

She lifted the first of the keys in her hand and recognized the symbol present on it.

"Virgo."

She flinched when the key suddenly felt warm, but a split second later and it was gone. Shaking it off as nothing, Lucille reached for the other key.

"Aquarius."

This one grew warm as well, but instead of a gentle warmth it felt more…agitated and sharp. She moved onto the last one.

"Leo."

This last key grew hot in her hand before it cooled again. Lucille didn't know what to make of them. She wondered what these keys opened. Perhaps a locked safe somewhere in her estate? Who knows.

But as Lucille held the keys in her palm, she felt tears welling in her eyes. She pressed them to her chest and in that moment she felt their warmth spread inside her, instantly banishing the cold chill that had settled over her heart.

And finally, with the last memento of her mother in her very hands…

Lucy finally allowed herself to cry.

The room of her childhood held every single sob and tear. Until there was nothing left.

* * *

It was past midnight by the time Lucy returned to her apartment. She wasn't surprised that rough hands grabbed her again the moment she set foot back on the ground. She was once again pulled into the alley next to her apartment.

Stormy blue eyes blazed with anger. And by the sound of his rough breathing, he had been holding in his rage for a while.

While she would have normally returned that anger with a glare of her own at being manhandled, Lucy simply stood there. She was too exhausted from the day's events to care anymore.

He seemed to notice her empty gaze for his anger immediately dissipated, replaced by…worry perhaps? Strange. Maybe he caught the slight tinge of red that must still be lining her eyes.

"Where did you go?"

Lucy merely blinked at him, not wanting to spare the effort answer.

Laxus growled at her. "Where did you go?"

She turned away from his inquisitive look, opting to stare into the empty streets instead. "…I went to see my father."

His grip on her arms tightened.

Lucy laughed, but it sounded pained even to her own ears. "Don't worry, I didn't kill him if that was what you were thinking."

"I wasn't."

She didn't respond.

"What happened?"

She turned back to face him. "We just talked. He told me he wanted to cart me back to Tartaros, and I threatened him to leave me alone. Nothing special." Her laugh was dry. She combed a hand through her bangs. "I mean, what kind of father does that? Sells her daughter for quick cash." She stopped herself before she broke down again. She thought she had gotten rid of those emotions already. She fisted her other hand around the keys that were now resting against her side, the simple action already calming her down.

Laxus stepped back, much to Lucy's surprise, and his eyes flashed with an emotion she couldn't quite read. He walked towards the end of the alley, turning his head around when he reached the street.

"Are you coming?"

Lucy frowned. "What for?"

Laxus raised a brow. "You look like you need a drink."

Lucy laughed, slightly more genuine this time. "Your treat?"

He scoffed, the previous tension in his shoulders having dissipated. "After what you did to me earlier? You wish."

Lucy let out a soft smile before following the dragon slayer down the street.

* * *

"Welcome to Mama's!"

Somehow, after a few drinks at a random bar they found, Laxus and Lucy ended up back at Mama's. Kitty greeted him with great enthusiasm - like always - and tried to drag him off to a couch, but Laxus pushed the invitation aside with a sloppy hand. Mama shook her head at their level of intoxication.

To Laxus' surprise, Lucy decided not take any customers that evening. Instead, they ended up simply chatting on her bed in her side room. How...mundane. Alcohol having loosened her lips, Lucy shared a portion of her childhood with him. Like how her father had dropped her off on Tartaros' door when she was six. And how she had been trained to become an assassin ever since.

And somehow, it turned into a competition.

Laxus snorted, face tinged a little red from the amount of alcohol they had consumed. They lost count a while ago. "You're not the only one with a shitty father."

Lucy turned towards him," Really...?" Her voice dragged the word out a little too long.

Laxus leaned back against a pillow, propped up against the wall. "Typical distant dad. With a side of sadism." He pointed towards his right eye and the scar that graced it. "Gave me this." He didn't know why he was telling her all this, but he blamed it on the beer.

Lucy leaned towards him and he could smell the alcohol on her breath. Her eyes, which had been heavy lidded before, grew wide with curiosity. "Is that from a lacrima too?" He noticed that alcohol made the woman…soft. She almost sounded caring.

"Ya," Laxus grunted. "Dragon lacrima. Was what gave me my powers. Apparently so I'd stop being weak."

He flinched when Lucy's hand came up to touch it. "It hurt didn't it."

Laxus snorted. "Like you couldn't imagine."

Her head moved down towards her own scar. "I think I can." Laxus had forgotten that she had a lacrima jammed into her as well. It was a rare thing that they actually had in common.

His eyes followed, landing on the dark crimson vines above her heart. Before his brain could stop himself, his fingers moved to lightly skim across its surface, feeling her soft skin underneath his finger tips. She shivered lightly underneath his touch, her chest moving with each heavy breath.

His eyes trailed up to her eyes before landing on her lips, remembering what they felt like just a couple hours before. Granted she had only kissed him to create an opportunity to getaway – something he will pay her back for later – his lips couldn't forget how soft and supple they were.

Hell, he knew he was attracted to the woman. Who wouldn't be?

The question always was whether he'd act on that attraction. And at that moment, with alcohol clouding his judgement, Laxus decided that it would be a good idea to lean forward, attempting to close the distance between them.

But a soft hand pressed back against his chest.

Laxus' eyes darted back up to hers in surprise. He leaned back, wondering if he had made a mistake. He lifted his hand from her chest, watching as she let out a breath. Her face was flushed and the scent of her arousal was in the air. He could see the conflicting emotions in her eyes. She was just as affected as he was.

"We should go," Lucy whispered breathlessly. He could tell that she was holding back as well.

Laxus shook his head to clear his mind before nodding and following her out. It was for the best.

But he knew that there was already something stuck in-between them.

An undeniable physical attraction.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Completely exhausted. Finally wrote my exam. YAY. Moving on to the working world now and will try to return to a decent update schedule.**_

 _ **Finally got Gajeel and Juvia into the mix (and Lily!). Gihi. They don't have enough bro moments so I made this one up. What a caring little dragon slayer he is. Also, if you are wondering about the keys, this is probably the extent I'll put them in for now. Basically just as a source of comfort to Lucy and as a final memento from her mother (I just chose my three favourite keys).**_

 _ **Anyways, until the next chapter!**_


	18. Reunion

**Chapter 18**

Soothing fall leaves soon turned to dazzling winter snow. It had been months since Lucy had found herself stumbling into Fairy Tail and in those months many things have-

"Oi, are we done yet?"

Lucy glared across the table. "Does it look like we're done?" She glanced down at her hands. They were wrapped around a crystal lacrima, with large rough hands placed right over hers. Thin tendrils of her magic flowed from their hands and into the vessel.

"Hmph. Hurry up," Gajeel grumbled from across the table. A few others looked their way in curiosity, but turned away after he scowled in their direction.

"You know," Lucy commented. "The more you sulk, the more they'll want to talk to you." She smiled. "Trust me, I'd know."

Gajeel's eyes flickered towards her. "Why do you care?"

"Call it pity." She laughed at his snarl. "Relax. I'm just joking. You were just like me, that's all. Just trying to help another normal person out."

"Normal?"

Lucy nodded. "A person that's not so…abnormally friendly."

Gajeel snorted. "I'll agree with you on that one." His eyes flickered away for what Lucy counted to be the third time that lecture.

Lucy leaned forward, brows raised. "You know; you seem awfully distracted. According to the professor, utmost attention is required for this lacrima injection." She refocused her stream of magic to balance Gajeel's wavering one. At least this was good practice on manipulating her magic. "As much as I'd _love_ for this to blow up in your face, since it is most likely that mine will be more affected, I'd like to keep this one intact this time." She's had enough of exploding lacrimas in these workshops. And missing eyebrows.

Gajeel shot her another glare.

Lucy tried to follow his previous line of sight. "Is something interesting over there?" All she could see was Natsu and Levy working on their lacrima. When he caught her looking over, Natsu shot her a grin. Lucy figured he tried to give her a wave, but Levy's hands kept his from moving.

She turned back when she heard Gajeel's growl. "It's nothing."

Lucy raised a brow, but didn't comment. Instead she looked past him to the small commotion in the table behind the iron dragon slayer. She raised a brow when she saw the water woman attempt to cling onto Gray while he was working on his lacrima with Lisanna.

She never did understand the woman's attraction to the ice mage. And to avoid a long story, she decided not to ask. After all this time, she was still amazed that the woman never mentioned to anyone else that she was the one who poisoned her. She admired the woman for her ability to keep secrets.

Gajeel's voice brought her back from her thoughts. "What about you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Shouldn't you have paired with your boyfriend?" Gajeel grumbled.

Lucy cocked her head. "Boyfriend?"

"You know, pink headed, fire breathing salamander?" Gajeel pointed out. "The one who was grinning at you just moments ago." His eyes flickered over to their table again.

Lucy snorted. "He's not my boyfriend." That's absurd. Natsu was just a friend. 'Boyfriends' were a distraction that she didn't need. And as to why she didn't pair with him today? She wanted to keep both her eyebrows intact.

"Really?" Gajeel raised an iron studded brow. "Given how much time you spend with each other-"

"Well," Lucy said, leaning forward while keeping her hands plastered to the crystal. "I can say the same thing myself with a certain other mage too. Haven't you been spending a lot of time with Levy?" Besides spending time with Natsu was just...natural. She didn't see what was so special about it.

Gajeel sputtered. "That's only cause she's my tutor."

Lucy shrugged. "Well, Freed's my tutor, you don't see me constantly following him around like a lost puppy."

Gajeel practically butted his forehead against hers. "I don't follow her around like a puppy."

"And yet you keep stealing glances in her direction."

Sparks of anger and aggression flew between them. "I was not."

"Was too!"

Lucy gasped when their lacrima started to heat up. Their magic must have grown unstable from their fight. "No not again." It was too late to save it. Her eyes glanced around in panic before landing back on the man in front of her. Making her choice, she wrenched her hands from the lacrima and hid underneath the table in record time. It was just in time to hear it explode, preferably in Gajeel's face.

A spur of expletives could be heard from above the table, mixed in with some rampant coughing. Lucy didn't even hide the smirk from her face. There was no regret from her actions.

"N-Natsu, no don't let go of the lacrima!" Levy shouted before Lucy heard another explosion. Her eyes furrowed, but seconds later Natsu materialized underneath her table.

"Lucy, are you okay?" He asked, as if he didn't just cause _another_ lacrima to explode.

"I'm fine, but _you_ might not be," Lucy replied. She could practically feel the waves of anger flowing from Levy's body. No one messed with Levy and her school work and got away with it.

Natsu paled before he grabbed Lucy's hand. "Lucy let's go before she kills me!"

"W-Wait!"

Lucy was pulled from underneath the table and she scrambled to her feet before running from both Gajeel and Levy who were right at their heels. Laughter bubbled from her lips, though it disappeared the moment the stepped out into the cold.

"Natsu, my coat is still inside, I'm going to freeze!" Already her teeth were starting to chatter. At least the cold stopped Gajeel and Levy from running outside to follow them.

Natsu grinned. "Don't worry I got this." Flames flared around his body. Lucy recoiled instinctively, but the dragon slayer toned it down a bit after a second. "Better?"

It was like standing next to a human furnace in the middle of winter. "I guess…"

"Yosh! Let's head to the caf then. I'm hungry!" Natsu proceeded to drag her down the snow covered steps towards the great hall. "Oh by the way!" He turned to face her. "What are you doing this weekend?"

"Nothing," Lucy replied. "Why?"

Natsu scratched the back of his head. "Well, I was thinking. Since all we've been doing is go on missions or being bored at school lately, I was wondering if you wanted a break."

"A break?"

"Ya, I figured we could head down to Hargeon for the day," Natsu suggested. Keeping his heat up must be exhausting, since Lucy noticed that Natsu's cheeks have gone a little pink.

"Sure, why not?" It wasn't like she had anything to do anyways.

"Great!" Natsu grinned before he pulled her towards the hall with an odd skip in his step. Once they reached the cafeteria, Natsu and Lucy headed over to order food before locating the exceeds in a table off to the side. As usual, Happy was trying to gift Charle with a fish and Lily was happily sipping on kiwi juice.

Gray, Juvia and Erza joined them soon after, followed by Gajeel and Levy who were still enraged at the lacrima explosions. Somehow all the pent up aggression resulted in a three way fight between Gray, Gajeel and Natsu. The other girls were already heading over to stop the fight.

Lucy decided to stay out of that one, opting instead to sip on her own strawberry smoothie. She felt eyes on her and looked across the room to see Laxus staring back at her. Things have been slightly…uncomfortable between the two after that one night a while ago. Neither of them have spoken about it since then, nor did it seem like they ever would. They simply swept it underneath the rug. They attempted to avoid each other, but somehow they always ended up in a staring contest from across the room, whether it was at the guild or in the cafeteria.

Midway through her thoughts, a body stepped in the way, followed by a slam of a mug of beer on her table. Cana invited herself down with a smirk.

"You look like you could have some fun."

Lucy raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

Cana leaned forward with a smile. "There's a club opening up this weekend on the edge of town. I've been looking for someone to join me. You up for it?"

A club? She's never been to a club before. It had never really crossed her mind, since all her focus used to be on her missions. And since coming to Fairy Tail there hasn't been anyone who seemed to express an interest. Well until now. But there was a part of Lucy that had always experience what it was like. To dance without a care. To do whatever she wanted.

"Sure," Lucy replied. She wasn't sure of what she was getting into, but at that point she didn't care.

"Great," Cana purred before slinking off the seat. She looked over her shoulder as she headed back towards the kitchens with her now empty mug of beer. "I'll see you Saturday night."

Lucy watched the woman saunter back towards the counter before returning to her smoothie.

This weekend was going to be…interesting.

* * *

"We're here…." Natsu groaned as he slinked off the train.

Lucy snorted as the man practically melted to the floor. "Why did we come all the way out here if you hate trains?" The weekend had come much faster than Lucy had anticipated. Perhaps due to the building excitement during the week.

"Because Lucy, you've never been to Hargeon so I wanted to show you."

Lucy laughed, before leaning down to ruffle his hair. "Well you can't show me anything if you keep lying in the snow like that."

"Right," Natsu moaned before rising to his feet. "Yosh! Let's go." He grabbed hold of her hand before dragging her off into town. Lucy furrowed her brows. Natsu liked to do that a lot. Was that normal?

"By the way," Lucy started, her keys jingling by her side as they walked. She found herself carrying them around often. They were…comforting. "Where's Happy?"

"O-Oh umm, he's off fishing with Charle," Natsu replied curtly.

"I didn't know Charle liked to fish."

There was a slight paused. "Well, she wanted to learn this weekend so Happy was teaching her."

"In the cold?"

"Charle likes the chill," Natsu blurted out. He suddenly pointed in another direction. "Enough about that, look food!"

Lucy let herself be dragged to stand after stand as Natsu filled his stomach. Along the way she received a running commentary on which items were local staples and which were to be avoided. It was actually quite…fun. She had never been to this town before, seeing as it was on the light side of the tracks. People here were very…peaceful.

Maybe a few years ago, before she had lost hope of living a normal life, she would've wanted something like this.

An hour into their day and they stumbled across an indoor amusement park. Lucy's eyes brightened at the sight. As a child, she had always wanted to frequent one, having previously read about them in her books. But obviously, she never got the chance.

It was then that it was her turn to drag Natsu around. Though he didn't seem to mind.

That is until they reached the roller coasters.

"Let's go!" Lucy exclaimed. She took another step, but in that moment she felt as though she were dragging a rock. Turning around, she saw Natsu rooted to the ground, his face having already turned a sickly green.

"U-Umm, Lucy," Natsu started. "How about you go and I watch from here."

He paled at the dark grin she sent him. "We're going Natsu…together." Ignoring his protests, she dragged him onto the ride.

The next two minutes were the two best minutes of Lucy's life. With her arms held around her waist and her shoulders shaking, she had to remind herself to breathe when she waited for Natsu to stumble off the ride. He was hilarious, screaming like a child before the ride even started.

It was most fun she's ever had.

Seeing as the first ride was so successful, Lucy decided to drag Natsu on all the other rides in the park.

"Lucy…no…"

Lucy had a feeling that her laugh came out a little sinister.

* * *

It was early evening by the time they returned to Lucy's apartment. Natsu was still groaning about the train, the rollercoasters and just transportation in general.

Lucy's spirit felt light as a feather. She turned to Natsu with a wide smile. Something unusual for her. "That was amazing!"

Natsu grinned. "I'm glad you had fun Lucy!" He was about to stroll into her apartment, but her firm hand stopped him in his tracks.

"What did I say about barging into my apartment…"

Natsu pouted. "Fine…but will you be coming to the guild tonight?"

Lucy was about to answer 'yes', but then she remembered her promise to Cana. "Not today Natsu. But I'll be there tomorrow."

Natsu's frown was only present for a split second before it turned back into a grin. "Alright!" He turned to head down the street. "Good night Lucy!"

Lucy laughed. "Night." She turned to head into her apartment, but a sly voice had her flinching.

"Lucy, Lucy, Lucy."

Lucy whipped her head around to see a silhouette approaching from the shadows of the alley next to her apartment. "Cana."

Cana gave her a sly smile. "What was that just now?"

"Nothing," Lucy said.

"Really?" Cana slurred.

"Really." Lucy insisted. Natsu was…Natsu. He was simply the guy that she could be completely relaxed with. Sometimes she felt as though she were an entirely different person around him. Like she didn't need to have her guards up constantly. Everyone had someone like that...right?

Cana threw her arms into the air. "Fine, fine. That's no fun." She followed Lucy into her apartment. "Though I guess that means we can have as much fun as we can tonight."

Lucy smirked. "Exactly." She wasn't afraid to say she was excited for tonight. It wasn't often that she had a chance to let herself go.

Cana threw her arm around Lucy's shoulder with a grin. "I like _you_."

After being dolled up by Cana - with much more makeup than she'd usually wear for Mama's - Lucy stepped down her stairs in four inch heels. Not that she wasn't used to shoes like that, but it was much harder to maneuver when it was snow and ice underneath your feet compared to hardwood. A part of her wondered why they were going out in the winter. She was practically freezing in the short skirt Cana had lent to her. At least her jacket was warm enough to block the chill in her arms.

Cana must have sensed her hesitation. "Come on girl," She grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the street, hailing a cab on the way. "You're not getting out of this one."

A taxi arrived a few seconds later. "I thought mages didn't like mundane transportation."

Cana snorted. "Most of us don't. But really they're just afraid of things they don't understand." She slid into the cab before Lucy followed suit.

Lucy stared out the window in silence, but after ten minutes, she was starting to recognize the scenery. When she felt the short bump of the wheels against the train tracks, Lucille turned towards Cana, eyes wide. "Wait, where are we going?"

Cana smirked. "The club. You aren't afraid that its on the other side of the tracks are you?"

Lucille obviously wasn't afraid of that point. But she was concerned that they were driving further in than she was comfortable with. The scenery was getting more and more familiar.

And that was a bad sign.

"We're on dark guild territory," Lucille hissed. More importantly, they've crossed onto Tartaros soil. She recognized the darker buildings. She wondered why their destination was even here. When did they even open up a club? Tartaros had never delved into that kind of business before. It was…odd.

Cana snorted. "You've got to live a little!" The cab pulled to a stop in front of a loud, blaring club with neon lights flashing obnoxiously out front. The line was massive, but given the fact that they were two gorgeous ladies – according to the bouncer – they were let in immediately.

Lucille's mind aired on the side of caution, scanning the crowd for any familiar faces. She was walking straight back into the place from which she ran away. Granted people here probably wouldn't recognize her – they were all rich socialite mundanes from the city.

A small part of her felt a slight...thrill. Like the sense of danger heightened the experience for her. It was probably what Cana was feeling as well.

Said brunette, currently dressed in a bejeweled bra and booty shorts, dragged her towards the bar. A tall, muscular, shirtless man with multiple piercings and tattoos along his body served them a couple of shots. Lucille downed them like they were water. She would need the buzz to dull any warning bells blaring inside her mind.

Lucille caught Cana eyeing a couple of men on the dancefloor and in no time, she was being pulled in that direction as well.

"Come on! Let's dance!"

Lucille would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the blaring music and flashing strobe lights. Hell, she didn't even mind the sweaty bodies bumping and grinding into her. In those short moments, she felt…alive. She felt free to do whatever she wanted to do.

Cana's sly smile was directed towards another direction before the girl slinked away. And just as Cana disappeared from Lucy's vision, a flash of blonde entered. A very familiar dark blonde.

Lucy's mind started to clear as she desperately pushed through the crowd to follow that head of blonde. It couldn't be. He wouldn't be here. For a second, she wondered why she was walking towards him rather than running away, but at that point she was too flustered to care.

She soon found herself away from the dancefloor and by the side corridors of the club. The music was more muffled in this area and only a few stray others were roaming this hall. Her eyes darted from door to door, person to person, hoping to find what she was looking for.

But the moment she turned another corner, a hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her into a small room. A closet. Darkness clouded her vision until a dim yellow light illuminated the closet from a lamp above her head. Lucille immediately stumbled backwards, her feet crashing into a couple of cans on the floor before her back hit the brick wall behind her.

Dark blonde greeted her, followed by deep, black eyes. If she wasn't so familiar with his look when he was under glamour she wouldn't have noticed him at all. But right now, even without the ears, he was unmistakeable.

"Jackal."

His grin revealed sharp teeth. "Hey there, sis."

* * *

"Remind me why we're here again," Laxus grumbled. They had finally made it inside the club and the music was blasting in his ears.

"Come on boss! It's been a while since we had a night to ourselves," Bickslow whined. "You've been disappearing by yourself at night so often I'm starting to wonder if you have a girl stashed on the side."

Laxus snorted. "Please."

Bickslow grinned. "Exactly. Besides, Cana said this place was going to be sick!" He looked around. "Now where is that woman…" The blue and black haired mage quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Laxus shook his head at the man before heading to the bar. He hadn't really wanted to come here tonight. Especially since the place was so far into dark guild territory. But he figured no one would recognize them here. He waved down the bartender, an odd muscular man with more piercings and tattoos than he could count. After ordering a beer, he leaned back against the bar with his eyes scanning the crowd.

A few woman approached him with seductive smiles.

That was one of the reasons why he let Bickslow talk him into coming tonight. At least these women would keep his mind off the blonde that wouldn't leave his thoughts. It was annoying. It was just one slight moment of weakness, but he was hooked.

His eyes drifted and for a moment he thought he saw said blonde. He perked up from his seat, but when he turned to follow, it disappeared. Great. Now he was even hallucinating. Letting out a growl of frustration, he headed towards the floor with the two women.

He needed a distraction.

* * *

"Jackal," Lucille hissed. "What are you doing here?" She tried to escape, but the space was too cramped for her to move. Jackal caught her movement and blocked the door with an arm.

"Aww…" Jackal mock pouted. "Months away and not even an 'I miss you?'" He flashed a fang in her direction. "Besides shouldn't I be asking what you're doing here? You are on our territory."

Lucille gritted her teeth. "I have people waiting out there for me. They'll notice if I'm gone."

Jackal cackled. "You mean that brunette that walked in with you? I'm pretty sure she's a little too...busy to notice."

 _Damn it Cana!_

Lucille felt his eyes scan her body before Jackal scrunched his nose at her. "Having a little too much fun are we?" He frowned before shrugging himself out of the jacket he was wearing it and tossing it over her.

Lucille rolled her eyes. It wasn't the first time he'd done this. She glanced down at her outfit. A short crop top and a mini skirt. It wasn't even that revealing…right? "That's not the point."

She sighed. "How long?"

Jackal gave her a knowing look. "Sis, you don't want to know."

Lucille shivered, and it wasn't due to the cold. He was right. She didn't want to know how long they knew. "Then why now?!"

Jackal crossed his arms. "Mard Geer thinks its about time you came home. Haven't you played outside long enough?"

"I wasn't playing Jackal."

"Say what you will Sis. But you know Mard Geer never lets his pets run away."

Oh she knew. "Then why haven't you carted me back yet?"

"Cause you're not needed _just_ yet." Jackal gestured towards the jacket in his pocket. "But he just wanted you to know that he's watching." Lucille furrowed her brows before reaching it and pulling out a small, rectangular cardboard box. "Open it when you get home."

"Jackal, I'm not coming back," Lucille hissed, stuffing the box back into the pocket. It was forgotten a split second later.

"You know what happens to those who refuse to-"

Suddenly there were a pair of voices just outside their door followed by a small giggle and a drunken slur that sounded awfully familiar. The door knob fumbled. Panicked, Lucille looked for a way to escape, but seeing as they were in a broom closet, there was nowhere to go. She didn't want to explain to Cana what she was doing conversing with a member of Tartaros.

Lucille caught a sliver of the dimmed ruby lights from the hallway before she was spun around and lips crashed into hers. Her eyes shot wide open and her entire body froze.

"O-Oh…*hiccup*, I didn't know this was occupied-…oh…is that you Lucy?!"

"Damn Lucy! You go get-em!"

Lucille could hear the snickering, but her brain had long stopped processing them. "Well, guess we'll leave you to your fun then…"

The moment the door shut, the pair repelled off one another.

Lucille coughed and hacked, bringing the back of her hand to wipe at her mouth. "What the hell was that for?!"

Seemed like Jackal wasn't exactly thinking right either. "I don't know! I panicked alright!" His hands were already pawing at his tongue. "That was gross-"

Lucille gagged. "That was disgusting-"

"It was like kissing your sister-" "It was like kissing your brother-"

The two of the paused in the middle of their sentences before a deep silence fell between them. All they could hear was the deep pulse of the bass from the club coming through the door.

Lucille leaned back against the brick wall, reality hitting her again. They were supposed to be enemies now, Jackal had made that very clear. There was no room for sentiments.

Jackal's entire body shook like he was trying to refocus as well. Then he reached forward to ruffle her hair and rough up her clothing.

"What are you doing?!"

Jackal's voice lost its teasing tone. "You want to make it look convincing right?" He spun her around and opened the door before pushing her outside. "Don't ignore it."

Lucille was about to ask what he meant by that, but Jackal had already shut the door again. Before she could go back, she was swept down the hallway by a few drunk women. She stumbled back towards the dancefloor, her heart beating a mile a minute. Cana was over by a corner, pressed up against someone that looked awfully like Bickslow. The brunette sent her a suggestive smile and a quick wink before getting back to her own business.

It wasn't until she sat down again at the bar that it all hit her.

They've found her.

Actually, the frightening point was the fact that she was probably never lost to begin with. She never even had that small sliver of freedom she thought she had. Everything was a lie.

The room began to swirl, and Lucille had to brace herself against the counter to avoid falling to the floor. Waving a hand to the bartender, she ordered a long line of shots. She didn't care anymore. She wanted to forget everything.

After an hour, Lucille lost count of how many drinks she's had. It had taken quite a lot to get her intoxicated, since her body was used to alcohol. She lifted heavy lidded eyes towards the mass of bodies grinding on the dance floor.

Hell, if she was about to lose her freedom again, she was going to go out with a bang.

Her vision was blurry and her feet stumbled over one another, but soon enough she was deep-seated inside the mass of writhing humans. Breathing in the potent smell of sweat and booze, she let herself go. In that moment she forgot about her father, forgot about Tartaros, forgot about Jackal.

She lost herself in the beat of the music as her hips swayed to the mesmerizing beat.

It didn't take long for a pair of large hands to settle on her waist. Her back hit solid muscle, and she smirked before grinding her ass against the crotch of the one behind her. Hearing the groan next to her ear made her feel...powerful. His thumbs traced circles around her hips bones and small tingles raced up her spine. With a hand reaching up to tangle into short locks of hair, she pulled whoever it was behind her into a sloppy kiss.

For some reason, he tasted familiar.

Another wave of alcohol hit her, and Lucille lost track of what happened next. A hand tugged at her wrist, and she allowed herself to be dragged through the crowd. Then there was a burst of cold air against her skin. She wanted to protest, but words wouldn't form from her lips. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care.

A while later and she felt a blast of warmth before hearing a few words exchanged with someone her brain couldn't identify. She felt herself stumbling some more before those same hands returned. They roamed along her entire body, pressing her against something cold and metallic. She felt his tongue tangle with hers before they moved again.

And with one last slam of a door, all came undone. Clothes were ripped off, shoes thrown across the room and she fell back against something soft. Amidst the haze, she saw a sliver of cloudy blue before her focus was once again lost to the searing heat that his hands sent throughout her body.

A small part of her raised flags in her mind, but the moment his lips touched her skin, all thoughts ran out the window. She returned his unyielding passion with her own and for the rest of the night all she could feel was his body against hers, sending pulse upon pulse of electrifying pleasure...

* * *

Lucille groaned as the morning sun drifted in through thinly veiled curtains. She turned away from the light, but froze the moment her arm brushed against something. Something that was warm and felt oddly like skin. Her eyes shot open, though she regretted it a second later. Her head turning back to the strange object, Lucille's mind could only think of one thing.

 _Please no…_

Her eyes trailed over defined abs before drifting past a series of black tribal tattoos. Then she caught blonde locks and a damning scar over one closed right eye.

She only had one thought left.

 _Shit._

* * *

 _ **A/N: Oh dear Lucy. What have you gotten yourself into now? Also, yay for Jackal's reappearance! I've been waiting forever to write that. I love writing him. Enough so that I've got a little treat for you guys. An omake of sorts...enjoy!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 18.5 - Dairies of a Jackal**

Jackal leaned against the wall of the closet, his head resting against the cold brick. The pulse from the bass of the music still reverberated through the door. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. _I'm just following orders._

 _We're supposed to be enemies._

He stared across from him into the empty space where Lucille was just moments ago. He couldn't stop the smile that creeped onto his face. It seemed as though it was just yesterday when he met the feisty little human…

xXx

 _He yawned as he walked down the stairs, covering his ears from the incessant human cries he heard from the foyer. Did they capture another human for torture today? What was all the racket about?_

 _He walked into the foyer and frowned when he saw a small child standing in the middle, next to Seilah and Mard Geer. She was wearing a soft pink dress with frills along the side. Her long golden hair was up in curls. But what entertained him the most was the look of pure fear in her eye, tears streaming down her face._

 _He growled, turning towards Mard Geer. "Another pet? Haven't you taken enough?"_

 _Mard Geer gave him a sly smile, placing his hand on the child's head. "This one feels…special." He shivered slightly at the way Mard Geer said those words. "But I do believe she is doing too much crying for my tastes." Mard Geer shoved her over to Seilah who looked at the human child with disgust. "Seilah will be teaching the child from now on."_

 _Seilah turned towards him. "Not until she is capable of staying silent."_

 _His eyes went wide when the girl was shoved towards him._

 _"You deal with the crying," Seilah commanded. "I cannot handle this disturbing noise."_

 _"What the-" he snarled. "I'm not dealing with this human brat." He looked down at the child and noticed something odd._

 _She stopped crying._

 _She looked up at him with bright wide eyes and a growing smile. She reached up towards him, her hands trying to grab something. "Your ears!"_

 _His furry appendages twitched in reaction and a soft giggle reached his ear drums soon after. He scrunched his face in disgust. Humans are beneath him. He wasn't going to play babysitter with this one. "No way."_

 _Mard Geer shot him a look that meant he had no option. Sighing, he looked down at the girl. "Fine. But if she annoys me, don't blame me if I blow her up on purpose."_

 _She continued to look up at him, her hands still making that grabbing motion. "Ears!"_

 _He looked down. "You're crazy if you think I'm going to let those dirty hands grab my ears." He pulled back slightly when he saw moisture gather in her eyes. Oh no. The resulting wail made his ear drums ache._

 _"Jackal, stop this noise." Mard Geer commanded._

 _He cursed. "You've got to be kidding me." Looking down at the small child, he bent down and very reluctantly picked her up. Immediately, those grabby hands reached for his sensitive ears. He growled when she pulled too hard on them, but instead of a cry he heard a small giggle. His eyes darted towards her face and noted that the tears have thankfully stopped._

 _Mard Geer acknowledged the interaction. "After you're finished, take her to her new room. Top floor, corner." He turned on his heels and left, Seilah following suit._

 _"W-Wait!" He shouted, trying to ignore the odd soothing feeling spreading from his ears throughout his body when she started to rub them. "You're going to leave me here with this brat?!"_

 _The girl leaned back with a pout. "I'm not a brat! My name is Lucille!"_

 _He snorted. "Like I care what you're called, human." He yelped when she pulled on his ear. He immediately shifted her onto one arm and almost conjured up a bomb in his other hand, but he knew if he blew up the girl, Mard Geer would kill him. So, pulling back the feelings of irritation, he started walking her towards her new room._

 _"Can I go home yet…"_

 _He groaned inwardly. He was going to hate this girl…_

xXx

 _"Jackal stop!" Lucille cried as she ran. Her hands were up by her ears, covering the sensitive appendages from the sounds of the explosions as she leapt away from them._

 _He heard his own laughter above the deafening noise. He created a few more, trying to predict Lucille's running patterns._

 _Lucille yelped as another exploded near her feet. "Jackal! Stop!" She cried as one caused her to fall to her knees._

 _Lucille turned around, letting out a childish growl as her hand whipped forward. "I said stop!"_

 _His eyes widened a fraction when he felt the knife embed in his left shoulder, right by his collarbone. He looked down seeing its handle sticking out of his flesh. He stalked over to the child trembling on the ground. He leaned over her, proudly noting that not a single tear streamed down her face. "You missed."_

 _Lucille's eyes narrowed and she bared teeth, just like a cornered canine would. "…Well the next time I won't!"_

 _He snorted. "You better not." He turned around, but kept a hand held out behind him. "Come on." He felt her smaller hand tangle around his. It was rough and calloused, nothing like he'd expect a normal eight-year-old human's hand to feel like. Then again, how would he know. He looked to her when he heard a soft whine. Eyes glancing to her bare feet, he noticed small burns and scrapes on her skin._

 _He sighed, before picking up the little girl and carrying her on one hip. "Pathetic." He ignored the bright smile sent his way. He didn't see the small gap in her teeth from when she lost one of her baby teeth. He definitely didn't lean his head into the hand that was currently massaging his right ear. No he remained impartial and uncaring._

 _But…maybe this girl wasn't so bad..._

xXx

 _He was strolling around base when he suddenly caught the heavy scent of blood. Ignoring the slight panic rising in the back of his mind, he swiftly made his way over to a room that had now become familiar._

 _"Lucille what the hell are you doing?"_

 _Sitting crossed legged on the floor, Lucille turned to him with blood streaming from both wrists. Her eyes started to cloud over and her body wavered._

 _"She said she was hungry…"_

 _Jackal frowned until he caught sight of the small three-eyed raven perched upon her shoulder._

 _A true demon..._

xXx

 _He chuckled to himself as his claws dug into the ceiling above him. The hallway was dark and lined with mirrors until they centered into one round room where he was currently situated. When Mard Geer shifted the layout of their base, he had rejoiced, his brain immediately conjuring up all the fun he could have in the - well- fun house. And who best to be on the receiving end of his actions than-_

 _He held his breath when he heard the footsteps heading towards his way. He didn't even hold back the grin that spread across his face as he waited for her to walk right under-_

 _He dropped straight down into the circle of mirrors._

 _Her ear piercing scream sent him howling with laughter._

xXx

 _"You sure you got this?"_

 _Lucille snorted. "Of course I do." But he could see the slight shiver in her shoulders. He watched as she walked out into the arena._

 _Where a towering three-headed demon awaited her. One of Mard Geer's latest summons. Said to have taken him quite a few hundred human sacrifices._

 _Sharp growls grew louder as she approached. Naberius already summoned to her side in preparation, Lucille pulled out her two daggers. To anyone else, he would've deemed them crazy for taking on a demon with only two daggers as weapons._

 _But she wasn't just anybody._

 _A loud roar mixed with a sharp battle cry as fang clashed with blade. Lucille backflipped out of the way just in time to avoid a side swipe from one of its' heads. One sweep of her blade and she managed to nick its flesh._

 _Which only made it angrier._

 _He had to admit. It was hard to watch. It wasn't long before the massive hound managed to take a good rip into Lucille's stomach. One arm moved to cover up the wound while the other remained raised in defense. He didn't think she had long before she passed out from blood loss._

 _She rolled out of the way of another jaw before she threw one of her daggers straight into one of it's eyes. A loud roar filled the empty arena. Taking that small opportunity, Lucille sprang to her feet, quite an unhuman stunt. He may have felt slightly proud of her progress._

 _The hound had reeled backwards, and Lucille took that opportunity to slash at its feet sending it crashing to the ground on its back._

 _She was close._

 _He felt his own claws digging into his palms in anticipation._

 _Immediately climbing onto its stomach, Lucille pointed her dagger straight at it's heart._

 _"Submit."_

 _There was a low rumbling growl, before another roar of pain filled the air. Lucille had sunk half of her dagger into its chest._

 _"Submit!"_

 _There was a moment of silence before all three of it's heads pulled back to reveal their necks. Lucille let out a cry of victory and he a sigh of relief. Though he'd never admit that to her. She pulled forward her arm, still dripping with blood and held it over each of its three heads. When they were finished sampling her blood, she sunk her own teeth into its neck. His stomach didn't even stir at the crimson fluid that trailed down her chin._

 _"Your name."_

 _He didn't need the language of demons to know what it said next._

Cerberus.

xXx

 _He wouldn't say that he was…excited to receive the instruction. But a part of him definitely was…interested in seeing her again. It had been months and frankly the base was getting quite boring without a human to annoy._

 _He didn't miss her. That would be ridiculous._

 _Though he wasn't quite pleased when Mard Geer sent him out to one of his new ventures to gather information. He hated it in this club. It was all loud music and sweating humans._

 _Disgusting._

 _Then he saw it. The familiar sight of golden blonde._

Long time no see…Sis.

* * *

 ** _A/N: What do you think? I had a lot of fun writing these flashbacks. Just a few insights into Lucille's past. Courtesy of commentary from the lovely Jackal of course._**

 ** _Until the next chapter!_**


	19. Acceptance

**Chapter 19**

 _Shit._

Lucille sprang up on the bed, regretting the action seconds later when her head drummed. She held the covers over her exposed body, taking a quick glance around. From what she gathered, she looked to be in a hotel room. Clothes were strewn across the floor, over chairs and anywhere else that was within tossing distance.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened last night. Despite the haze in her memories, Lucille did recall the main details of the night before. All of which led to this moment.

By the devil. What was she thinking?!

A small groan from her side made Lucille freeze. She twisted her head slowly. Thankfully, Laxus only rolled onto his side before his breathing evened out once more. Lucille let out the small breath she had been holding. Despite the holes in her memories, one thing was certain.

She needed to get out of there.

Slowly easing herself off the bed, using years worth of practice in stealthy escapes, Lucille crept along floor, gathering up each item of lost clothing and quickly getting dressed. She gave one last glance to the man still sleeping on the bed before sneaking out the door.

Once outside, Lucille noticed where she was. With a small frown, she raised her guards when she realized she was still on Tartaros territory. It alarmed her that she felt...comfortable in this setting. The grungy atmosphere was nothing new to her.

The hairs on her arm rose with the winter chill. She threw on the jacket Jackal had tossed her the night before, vaguely noticing the extra weight in its pocket.

Lucille decided not to chance flight with Naberius, given the cold and her perpetuating headache. Waving a hesitant arm, she hailed a cab. The driver paid no mind to her provocative style of dress.

She figured he was used to walks of shame.

* * *

Once home, Lucy collapsed to her bed. Her head still pounded, but the comfort of her own apartment definitely helped ease the pain. Stripping herself of last night's attire, she headed over to her bathroom for a much needed bath.

One glance at the mirror elicited a squeak so uncharacteristic of herself, even Lucy was shocked.

Marks...all over her body. Bruises of all shapes and sizes lined her neck and down her torso.

 _Oh my devil. What the hell did we do?!_

Panic settled in. Lucy forced herself into drawing a bath in order to calm herself down. Settling in, she buried her head in her hands, watching the water lap gently around her. The misty steam did nothing to soothe her mind. She didn't even want to know how Laxus would react once he-

Lucy groaned. She had forgotten entirely about Laxus. It probably didn't help that she fled the scene without a second thought. She wondered if he would even remember. They were both very intoxicated last night. Or well, at least she was. Maybe if she prayed hard enough, he would forget the incident as well, and everything would be swept underneath the rug.

She hoped.

Still unable to calm, Lucy growled in frustration before stepping out of the tub. Wrapping a towel around herself, she returned to the bedroom before noticing a small cardboard box on her bed. It rested just next to the jacket.

Right. She had almost forgotten that Jackal had handed that to her the night before. Brows raised with curiosity, Lucy sat down on the bed, her towel scrunching at her side. She slowly opened the box and frowned.

A...smartphone?

She picked it up gingerly before inspecting it on all sides. She had heard of these before, and had seen almost everyone downtown carrying it around. But she had never had one. None of those at Fairy Tail were in possession of one either. They didn't trust mundane technology.

A small smile crept onto her face. She wasn't going to lie; she was quite excited over getting a new toy. Dumping the rest of the box onto her mattress, Lucy grabbed the instructions and read them thoroughly before turning on the phone. Anticipation built up as the screen lit and the start-up tone rang.

But she didn't expect the phone to beep. It was a sharp, monotone sound. Unmistakably recognizable to Lucy.

It sounded awfully like one of Jackal's bombs...

Panic settling deep in her bones, Lucy immediately scrambled off the bed and into the bathroom, slamming the door shut. She held her hands to her ears as the beeps picked up in speed, rising in pitch until-

 _"Ahahahahahaha!"_

"…" A low, threatening growl escaped Lucy's lips when she realized what happened.

 _"You fell for it didn't you? I bet you're hiding under some table or a door right now. Ah...you're always so gullible Sis!"_

The slam of her bathroom door drowned out only a portion of Jackal's cackle, emanating from the phone. She grabbed the offending piece of glass and metal and raised it above her head.

"You little piece of-"

 _"Ah! Don't throw it!"_ the recording surprisingly warned. _"You want to throw it don't you? But you can't. Cause if you break it we'll know."_

A part of Lucy really wanted to teleport to where Jackal currently was and strangle the life out of him. Even if it meant revealing herself again to Tartaros. She forced herself to calm down, taking long deep breaths. Her rage dispersed from her chest and she sat back down, still in her towel. She rolled onto her stomach as she turned her attention back to the phone in her hand. Letting out a huff of exasperation, she followed the instructions, swiping the lock on the screen.

The device displayed the time, and underneath, what Lucy recognized as the service provider.

 _FACE Telecommunications._ What an odd name.

A sudden vibrate from the phone, followed by a sharp sound, caused Lucy to drop the phone onto her mattress in surprise. A bubble appeared on the screen and looked to contain…a message. Then two, three, four…

How many messages was she getting?!

She gingerly pressed down on the first, unsure of what would happen, and it popped open on the screen. It looked to be a conversation of some sort, albeit a one-sided one. It was obvious who the messages were coming from.

' _Have you turned this on yet?'_

' _Helloooo'_

' _Turn it on!'_

' _Why haven't you turned it on?'_

' _Are you ignoring me?!'_

' _I told you to open this. As soon as you got home. What else could you be doing at 3am?!'_

Oh Lucy had a feeling she knew what she was doing at 3am.

The messages continued on, though she didn't bother to read them all. Instead she pressed on the 'enter message' bar and was pleased when letters popped up. With two eager index fingers, she attempted to type her first text message. She was unnecessarily excited, but this gadget alone brought her closer to the kinds of people she used to read about in her books. People who would text all day to their friends.

She didn't exactly have friends she could text, but at least she had the phone.

It was painstakingly slow, but after five attempts – the phone kept magically changing her words for some reason – she finally managed a message.

' _Stop. Messaging. Me.'_

Lucy was surprised at how fast one could conjure up a reply.

' _Took ya long enough.'_

She managed an eye-roll before she realized that Jackal wouldn't be able to see it. Her fingers returned to the screen.

' _What is this phone for?'_

There was a slight pause before she received her next reply.

' _For when it's time.'_

Lucy felt the same gut dropping feeling that she had the night before. How could she forget? To make matters worse, they weren't coming for her. No. They wanted her to return to them. Like the good little pet she was. Her hands gripped the phone tightly.

She didn't want this.

She was startled by another beep of the phone. She stared at the name on the screen, more shocked than confused.

' _I see that you have not yet perished.'_

 _Seilah._

Why would Seilah message her? Especially with a message that bordered on the line of caring for the normally cryptic demon.

Lucy shook her head. Seilah wouldn't worry about her. That's ridiculous.

Lucy wondered who else was in her phone. Flipping around until she found 'Contacts', Lucy pressed on the icon. Only a handful of names showed up on the screen next.

But one name alone was enough to send trembles down her spine once more.

 _Master._

There was no message from him, but the lone possibility that he could scared her-

"Lucy!"

Startled, Lucy let out a small scream. She sat up and turned towards the sound, only to see a puff of pink as it tumbled in from her window.

"Lucy let's go to the-" Natsu paused mid-sentence the moment he laid eyes on her.

Lucy let out a sigh of relief that it was just Natsu, but then realized that she was still holding the phone. She stuffed it underneath her pillow while he was staring at her. Actually, he was staring at her for so long, even her eyes drifted down to look-

!

She was still in her towel. Her eyes flickered back towards Natsu's face, but a strange expression was there. His eyes were narrowed and his fangs were bared in a snarl. He was…angry? What for?

"Lucy…" Natsu growled, "Who did this to you?"

Oh devil. The bruises.

It took her a few seconds to regain her composure, but even then, Lucy wasn't quite sure what to say. "I was…in a fight…" Words flew out of her mouth, and she hoped they made sense. "Cana took me to a bar last night, and I accidentally got into a fight."

Oddly shaped bruises for a bar fight she knew, but she hoped Natsu would believe her.

"And they even managed to hit you…here." Natsu's hand shot forward and his thumb brushed against the swell of her left breast.

Lucy immediately shuffled backwards, bothered by how effortless it was for him to touch her. Her face felt slightly warm. "It was a girl fight. There was biting involved. It was ruthless."

"Mm-hmm…" Natsu moved forward. Lucy continued to move until she felt her back press against her headboard. Natsu followed, stalking her like a predator. A frown spread across his face. He leaned down towards her neck, where she knew there was a line of bruises marring her skin.

Her brows furrowed. "Are you…sniffing me?!" He didn't acknowledge her. But Lucy had enough of his strange behavior. "Natsu what are you doing?!"

Apparently that was enough to shock him out of his stupor. His head snapped back. It took a moment, but a flush of pink spread across his face as if he finally realized the position they were in. As well as her state of dress.

"Ah! Lucy! S-Sorry!"

And as fast as Natsu materialized into her room, he exited. Lucy spent a few moments merely blinking at her open window in shock before leaning back against her headboard. She wondered just what the hell Natsu was trying to do. It was like he was trying to smell for something…

Lucy wasn't surprised that he didn't find anything. She scrubbed pretty hard in the shower.

Lucy decided to head to the guild. She should probably figure out what was wrong with Natsu…

* * *

Lucy brushed the snow off her coat and her hair as she stepped inside the rowdy guild. She adjusted the scarf around her neck, her eyes scanning the bar. It wasn't hard to find the familiar flash of pink, considering it was currently involved in yet another fight. Seeing as Natsu was occupied, she scouted out Happy instead.

She found him on a table nearby, with Wendy and Charle.

"Hi Lucy!" Wendy greeted her as she sat down. Lucy gave her a small smile in greetings before turning towards Happy.

"Happy," Lucy started.

"Aye!"

"Is there something wrong with Natsu today?" Lucy asked.

"Why do you ask that Lucy?" Wendy inquired.

"He dropped by my place earlier and seemed…a little off."

Happy scrunched his face in contemplation. "Mmm…not that I can think of." He swiveled towards the brawl. "He seems pretty normal to me."

Wendy gave it some thought. "Hmm…maybe he's just excited about the annual training camp next week."

Now that was news to Lucy. "Annual training camp?"

"Oh! They didn't tell you? Each year, high school and university students get together for a month to hone their skills," Wendy explained. "It's held on Tenroujima– Fairy Tail's sacred island – each year." Wendy's eyes brightened. "This year is my first!" The girl seemed awfully excited.

A training camp…

Lucy realized that this would be a good chance to build on her own magic as well. After her experience with Phantom Lord, she was hoping for the opportunity to recreate it. Perhaps mastering the technique would make it easier to summon her demons.

A small vibrate in her coat pocket startled her. Instinctively, Lucy pulled the phone out of her pocket. But the moment she did, she remembered where she was.

"Oh Lucy! Is that a cellphone?!"

Lucy turned around to see Levy heading towards her table. How she managed to see the device from two tables down she did not know. Lucy started to panic. The message already flashed across the screen. She didn't get the chance to read it, but she assumed it was another idiotic message from an idiotic demon. One that she did not want her guildmates finding out about.

But before she could hide it away, Levy had already slid onto her bench. She eagerly grabbed the phone. "This is amazing! Where did you get this?"

Lucy was confused. Did Levy not see the message on the screen? It was right there. "I…bought it the other day downtown." She had already come up with an excuse for owning one. "It's for my mundane studies assignment on technology." Her eyes flickered back to the screen, where the text bubble was prominently on display.

Levy couldn't see it... Was that even possible?

"Aren't those for mundanes?" Wendy asked.

"Ew..." Happy interjected. "What do you even need that for? Magic is so much better!"

Levy paid them no mind and rambled on about the assignment and the merits of mundane technology. Lucy tried to concentrate, but all she could think of was how it was possible that only she could read the messages. Did they enchant the device?

"Yo Lucy! Did you just get here?"

Lucy lifted her head to see Natsu sitting down across from her with a wide smile. As if the strange encounter from this afternoon never happened. Maybe she had hallucinated…Or maybe it was what Wendy had said. She took that short opportunity to grab the phone back from a distracted Levy. She immediately stuffed it back into her pocket.

"You were fighting with Gray when I walked in."

"Hey! Gray was the one who started it," Natsu protested.

Right on cue, Gray walked up. "What are you talking about flamebrain?!"

"Why you!" Natsu bolted to his feet.

"Are you two fighting?" Natsu and Gray paled when Erza joined their table.

"No Erza!" They both chimed.

Erza shook her head. "Save it for the camp."

Lucy got lost in the conversation when the boys started talking excitedly about the event. They spared a few details to her in the passing, but in general, Lucy concluded that she would have no idea what she was getting into until the day she arrived.

An hour later, Lucy decided that she had had enough human interaction for the day. She bid everyone goodbye before heading towards the guild exit. She stepped out just in time to bump into someone on their way in. She looked up in annoyance, but froze a second later.

Stormy blue eyes stared down at her. Lucy searched them to see if he had remembered. Laxus' eyes narrowed seconds later, followed by a large frown that pulled at his lips.

Oh, he remembered all right.

She tried to sidestep her way out of the doorway, but Laxus blocked her escape.

"Running again?"

Her eyes locked to his in defiance. "I don't know what you're talking about."

A low growl formed in his throat. Lucy didn't like the fact that the sound sent sparks down her spine as opposed to fear. His eyes drifted towards her scarf, his hand following suit. He lifted a section of the fabric from her neck, but she swatted his hand away the moment he touched her skin.

She had expected him to be upset at finding nothing, but instead a smirk grew on his face. "You smell like makeup Princess. But none of it seems to be on your face."

Lucy's jaw dropped. Laxus brushed past her and into the guild without another word.

Her body trembled. But it wasn't from the cold.

Just what the hell was wrong with her?

* * *

True to Wendy's word, the annual Fairy Academy training camp was held a week later. Lucy had spent the days before packing her belongings and taking care of loose ends. She had to stop by Mama's to let her know she wasn't working for the month. The older woman simply waved her signature fan at her in acknowledgement.

Lucy didn't know why, but she brought the phone with her. It had been strangely silent for the past couple of days, even without messages from Jackal. It unnerved her.

A loud groan reached her ears, bringing Lucy back to the present. She sighed, "Natsu, you've been groaning for the past hour."

"Can't…help…it," Natsu choked. His face had grown pale. She wasn't surprised. They did happen to be on a boat.

Happy rested on top of Natsu's head as he leaned over the ship. "We're almost there Natsu! Hang in there."

Lucy fanned a hand over her face. It was strange, but wherever they were heading, it was extremely hot. She almost missed the winter chill back in Magnolia.

But the heat wasn't enough to distract her from the view. It was beautiful. The sun shone bright from the cloudless sky. The calm blue water parted its way as the ship travelled and flocks of birds circled gently overhead.

It was then that Lucy finally caught sight of Tenrou Island. She stared in awe. It was massive, with a beautiful giant tree rooted right in its middle, blanketing the forest surrounding it with its soothing shade.

Beside her, Wendy was just as mesmerized. Her smile grew bright as she fidgeted as waited for the ship to dock. When it did, she raced down the steps to reach the beach. Lucy followed suit, dragging Natsu in her wake. She took off her shoes in the sand, feeling its warm, grainy texture underneath her toes. It was amazing. She had never been to a place this…peaceful before. It was a far cry from the dark, dirty city she was used to.

Once gathered, they were sorted by year and led towards a set of cabins. Erza was in charge of the first years, as denoted by her position as class representative. Standing on top of her mountain of luggage, she kindly laid out the rules for the next month.

"There will be no fooling around!" Erza demanded. Her eyes immediately landed on Natsu and Gray, who cowered underneath her sharp gaze. "We are here to hone our skills, both physical and magical. This next month will be exhausting, grueling, but I guarantee that you will all emerge as better mages."

She pointed to a row of wooden cabins nearby. "You each are assigned to a cabin inside the village. No switching rooms!" Somewhere in the crowd, Juvia's face fell, disappointed. "Each morning starts at seven am sharp! Do not be late!" Her eyes scanned the crowd. "Do you understand?!"

"Yes Erza!" They all shouted, before dispersing to their residences.

Lucy dragged her suitcase to her assigned cabin and noted pleasantly that it was only shared between two people. When Levy entered, Lucy was glad for her new roommate. It always delighted her that Levy could be quiet when needed. All they needed was each a book and they could both enjoy the silence.

The first day passed by peacefully, with dinner in a large hall in the middle of the village of cabins. It was loud and rowdy as typical, but everyone seemed to have an air of seriousness surrounding them. They seemed to be aware of what was in store for them the next day. It made Lucy excited.

* * *

Lucy spent part of the first night staring up at the ceiling of her cabin. She found herself pulling her phone out from where she had stashed it underneath her pillow. Shooting a quick glance to make sure Levy was asleep, she turned on the screen.

Empty, again.

She sighed deeply. _Damn it._

Lucy rolled herself out of bed, then slipped on a pair of shoes before sliding quietly out of the cabin. The entire village was quiet, everyone having already turned in for the night. It was dark. The only light belonged to the moon and the stars. For a moment, Lucy was captivated. She had never seen so many constellations before.

She fingered one of the keys on her belt as she whispered towards the sky, "Look Leo, that's you."

Oh dear devil. She was talking to a key. Maybe she really was going crazy.

Shaking her head, Lucy walked away from the cabins and into woods. She found a small clearing and lay down on the bed of grass. She breathed in the woody smell of nature before pulling out the phone.

She huffed at it in frustration.

Lucy couldn't believe that she was doing this.

Gritting her teeth, she pressed down on one of the buttons and waited with her eyes closed.

… … …beep.

" _Did ya miss me already?"_

Lucy snorted, a smile instantly spreading on her face. "...As if anyone would ever miss you...Jackal."

 _"Says the woman who called me..."_

Lucy gazed up at the stars as she listened to his banter over the phone. It was like a dam had burst. Jackal rambled on and on about all she had missed in the months that she was gone. Apparently, he had blown up a warehouse on the south side just two weeks ago. Before that, he had set fire to a bank. He yelled at her in embarrassment when she asked him whether he had remembered to steal the jewel notes first.

Lucy genuinely laughed to herself. It wasn't the first time he had forgotten.

It annoyed her how much she had missed Jackal's voice. It was a strong reminder of how her ties to Tartaros were never truly severed. Sometimes she wondered why she even tried.

Lucy eventually lost track time. And when the sun broke, and the birds chirped the next morning, she realized that she had fallen asleep midway through. She heard obnoxiously loud snoring and turned to her phone. She chuckled when she noticed the call was still connected.

It was then that she noticed the time. Six am.

She sprang up, hanging up on the call. She was supposed to be up and ready by seven. If Levy woke up before her and noticed her empty bed, she'd have too many questions. Lucy quickly ran back towards the cabins. Thankfully Levy was still asleep when she slipped inside.

It wasn't long after when a bell was rung, signaling the official start to their first day.

* * *

Sweat poured down her skin as Lucy slowed to a halt. Her limbs screamed, and her joints ached. She looked to her left and saw Natsu standing by with a wide grin. Not a drop of moisture rolled down his face. How the hell could that monster handle a twenty-kilometre mountain run and not break a sweat?!

"Alright!" Erza announced when everyone had gathered. Lucy groaned on the inside. There was more? A small voice in her head reminded Lucy that she had been through worse, but it had been a while since she was worked this hard. "Gather up! Holder mages on one end and Caster mages on the other."

Lucy filed herself onto the side where the other Holder mages stood.

"Now, Holder mages," Erza started, "I'm sure all of you are aware that your magic is driven by the items in your possession. Unfortunately, it also means that if you were to lose your magic item, many of you will be in danger during battle."

It was a harsh statement, but Lucy knew it to be true. Even if her demons were by her side, if she ever were to face an enemy while they were distracted, all she could rely on was her own physical capabilities. Which was why, long ago, Tartaros had trained her for the worse.

She had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"Today, to build up your physical defense," Erza continued. "We will pair you with another individual to spar. As is tradition, a few of the fourth years will aid in this exercise."

A flash of blonde caught Lucy's eye, and she groaned on the inside. Of course Laxus would be here. He gave her a wink when he caught her staring. It didn't surprise her at all when he volunteered to be her sparring partner, much to Natsu's dismay.

There goes ignoring the man.

Lucy gave Laxus a onceover when he stopped in front of her. He had painfully decided to go shirtless this afternoon and was wearing a dark pair of athletic shorts. And with the look in his eye, he was also very aware of the fact that she was staring.

"Show me what you got Princess," Laxus taunted with one hand.

Lucy shot him a glare, before lowering her stance. She analyzed his posture before shooting forward. She swung her leg around for a high kick and froze when he caught her ankle with one hand. He smirked at her, but that was to be expected.

Large men like Laxus always got overconfident with their size.

And Lucy had lost count of how many men like him she had fought before. Lucy was painfully aware of her own weaknesses. She wasn't inhumanely strong. She didn't have lightning or fire at her command. Without her demons, she was defenseless. So she learned long ago to protect herself with only what she was born with.

Breaking out a smile, Lucy made use of Laxus' grip on her ankle. She lifted her other foot off the ground and swung forward like a pendulum. Her free leg shifted around behind him and swept at his legs. The shock of his fall made him release her foot and her hands landed on the ground before she flipped away.

The stunned look on his face was priceless.

Lucy smirked when his face twisted slightly in anger. Laxus sprang back to his feet and lowered his stance. Finally, he was getting serious with her. Laxus made then next punch, but given her smaller and nimbler body, she quickly dodged the attack. She made use of his momentum as she slipped underneath him to throw his body over her back and straight to the ground.

She straddled his hips to keep his legs down and pressed her forearm against his throat in warning. She felt him relax in defeat. She sat up.

Lucy smiled, "Give up yet?"

Laxus' eyes flashed dangerously. He sat up as well, bringing his face closer to her chest. He gave her a sly grin. "Well ain't this familiar." His large hands grabbed her thighs.

Lucy flinched, "I have no idea what you're talking about." She ignored his fingers as they massaged her muscles.

"You don't, but your body does."

Lucy snarled as she hopped off his body. Laxus chuckled as got back to his feet. After that, she continued to spar with the man, but avoided any 'dangerous' moves. Ones that required more body contact. But apparently, Laxus didn't get the memo. She found herself slapping away wandering hands that only served to wind her body up. At the end of the session, Lucy was sweaty, tired and frustratingly turned on.

She may have bested Laxus in the majority of their matches, but it was he that won.

* * *

Later that night, Natsu carefully watched Lucy's hand. It shook like a leaf when she maneuvered the soup spoon into her mouth. She moaned like it was first time she had tasted food.

"Are you alright Lucy?" Natsu looked on with concern. He was afraid that Lucy might not be able to handle the training. She was new to it after all. But then again, she amazed him this morning when she finished the mountain run without a complaint.

He wasn't too happy afterwards when she was partnered with Laxus for sparring. He wanted to be the one to teach her! But again, she threw him for a loop when she sent Laxus crashing to the ground. More than twice even!

It made him realize just how amazing Lucy really was.

"I'm fine Natsu," Lucy replied, "Just a little sore."

Natsu frowned, "Was Laxus mean to you?" He had taken a few glances in their direction while they were sparring. Okay, maybe more than a few. He just didn't like the way Laxus was touching her. Even now, a small weight settled on his chest while he was thinking about it.

Lucy shook her head and yawned at the same time. Natsu laughed at the image. "Come on sleepyhead." He helped Lucy up from the table, just in time to stop her head from bobbing into the soup. She mumbled that she was fine, but leaned her body against his for support. He liked that she trusted him enough to do that. It made him feel...happy.

Natsu lead Lucy back to her cabin, before tucking her in for the night. He watched her for a moment to make sure she was asleep. He brush a stray hair from her face, giving her one last lingering look before turning back towards his own cabin.

One that he shared with…Gray.

It was going to be a long month for all of them.

* * *

Two weeks passed without Lucy collapsing from exhaustion. It turned out that Erza was quite the slave driver. She lost count of how many kilometres she had run, how many tires she had dragged and how many obstacle courses she had finished.

It was all physical training, but Erza had mentioned that the body needed to be honed before the magic vessel could be improved.

But Lucy was starting to grow impatient. So one night, a week ago, she decided to sneak out on her own. She found the same clearing that she located the first night. And, despite her hatred of it, she meditated. She had been doing it every night since. It was odd, but for some reason, being on this island made her feel more in touch with the magic around her. It made her feel stronger, more in control as if something was guiding her progress.

Tonight, she decided that she was finally ready to try summoning another one of her demons in human form. She lifted her wrists and pressed her hands to the cuffs, drawing the scent of blood into the air. She pulled her magic into herself and concentrated it to a point.

This time, she envisioned the towering gate of stone, rising from the depths of the earth with vines curled around its bars. She laid her hand against the warmth of the gate and pushed gently, letting it open with ease.

She spoke calmly, "Open. Third Demon Gate of the Titan. Gaia."

The earth rumbled slightly and out from the ground rose a woman. She was stunning. Shaped like an amazon warrior and dressed in tribal clothing, Gaia's deep skin glowed in the moonlit clearing. Her eyes were dark, but held depth and wisdom. She bowed low when greeting her.

"Ojou-sama. It is a pleasure to greet you in my human form. Your powers have grown tremendously since we have last met."

Lucy grinned with pride. But she had many questions that she wanted answered. "Gaia. How is it that you all have a human form to begin with?"

Gaia smiled, "In ancient times, we have gained this form in order to entice humans. It was much easier to tempt them with a body…they preferred. But as the eons passed, the concentration of Ethernano grew, making it much harder to pass to this realm. Thus we required the help of mages. It has been a while since one has been able to summon us here."

"But why me?" Lucy asked. "I'm sure there were other demon summoners before me."

"There were," Gaia agreed. "But few had the strength to impress Cerberus. Our gatekeeper is quite picky." Gaia's arms lifted and small bells chimed from bracelets resting on her wrists. "We were quite impressed when he accepted you. Enough so that Ifrit paid you a little visit."

Lucy hoped that they were impressed. She had almost died in that battle.

"I had to fight Cerberus to gain his trust," Lucy said, "Why was it so easy to gain yours?"

"The Nine choose their own," Gaia replied cryptically. "Only we can decide whether one is worthy of our assistance. Your treatment of your demons has gained you our trust."

Lucy was thrilled. "The Nine. Can you tell me more about them?"

"Certainty," Gaia bowed. The earth rumbled once more and a small pyramid made of stone rose up from the dirt. There were four levels, each spinning at a slow speed on a horizontal axis. "The Nine are made of the strongest demons in the underworld. You have met four." The four stones of the lower level of the pyramid glowed. "We are the elementals. Representatives of the four elements of the world. Fire, water, earth and air. We create balance in the tangible world."

Lucy nodded in fascination. "And the others?"

The second row of the pyramid glowed. "The next are the Twins." The third row glowed bright. "And after they, the Knights."

The lone stone at the top of the pyramid glowed hot. "And the last, the Prince."

Lucy's eyes grew wide in awe. "When will I meet them?"

"When you finally accept us," Gaia explained.

Lucy's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Gaia gestured towards herself. "You have not yet accepted us as a part of you. A part of you still fears us. Still rejects us."

"That's not true!" Lucy exclaimed. "At least…not anymore." She wasn't going to lie. She grew up hating her powers. She hailed them a curse. Used them as a means to kill and only that. But now, she no longer saw her magic in the same light. She no longer feared her demons for what they could do. For what she could do. Instead, she wanted to embrace this power, for everything it is and everything it isn't.

"Then accept us into your soul, Ojou-sama."

Lucy was about to ask how, but for some reason she felt like she already knew the answer. She closed her eyes, letting instincts take over. Magic swirled around her, building in power. Blood pulled at her wrists, drawing more than she had ever before. She felt the presence of the elementals around her, seeing their gates inside her mind, even though she had yet to call them out. But this time, she only needed their names.

"Ifrit."

"Leviathan."

"Valea."

Bursts of power exploded around her, and the wind picked up in the air. Lucy opened her eyes to her demons surrounding her. She recognized the human form of Ifrit and Valea. Crimson red clashed with pure white. When she turned to Leviathan to her right, she smiled. The demon had deep blue hair cascading down her shoulders. She wore a tight, sleeveless top and dark pants. She also wore a scowl that Lucy had always envisioned would be on the demon's face.

"It's about time, girl," Leviathan spat, but Lucy could see the glimmer of pride in her eyes.

Ifrit grabbed her hand and kissed the back. "I was waiting for this moment, Ojou-chan." Lucy slipped her hand back out for preservation.

Valea stayed silent behind her, but she felt her presence just as clear.

Gaia gave her a short nod to continue.

Lucy sat back on her heels, closed her eyes and concentrated her magic. She let their powers encompass her, feeling each element swirl around the barrier that she had erected subconsciously around herself. They slammed and banged at the invisible substance until they forced themselves through. It was then that their powers combined into one and struck deep into her soul. Lucy sucked in a huge breath at the surge of strength she felt. It was like the air had cleared and she was taking her very first breath. She felt powerful, strong. But more importantly, she felt connected. To the earth, the skies, the trees and the birds. She felt connected to the world itself.

She no longer sensed her demons as an external presence. Now it was internal.

She opened her eyes and smiled as she gazed upon the true forms of her demons, staring down at her as they towered above her. She held their forms with ease, feeling the magic easing and flowing as opposed to the strong tug and pull it was before.

She had finally accepted her demons into her soul.

And inadvertently, herself.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Ha you thought I was gonna give them a straight confrontation in the morning? Not yet. Not yet. I hope Lucy's exploration of the cellphone was realistic lol. It's hard to describe something that seems so natural to use.**_

 _ **And I swear I keep saying this, but things will pick again soon.**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	20. It's Time

**Chapter 20**

The flow of magic eased itself back into the atmosphere as Lucy released a breath. She felt the energy dissipate from her body. One by one, her demons returned to the underworld until it was just her left in the clearing. The soft rustle of leaves accompanied the sharp crunch of the grass as she rose to her feet.

It was weird, but in that moment, Lucy felt calm.

The constellations sparkled in the sky above her, making her smile when she recognized the ones from her keys. Sometimes it felt as if they were looking out for her.

Realizing that it was getting late, or early, depending how she looked at it, Lucy started heading back to the cabins. While some might be afraid of the darkness, Lucy welcomed it. But what she didn't welcome was the man who stood waiting for her, leaning against the trunk of a tree.

His sharp blue eyes reflected the moonlight. They were trained on her, suspicious, but non-threatening.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked, knowing she wouldn't be able to get out of this one. After their heated training session two weeks ago, Lucy had avoided him. She wasn't expecting him to come find her.

"Investigating a sharp burst of magic," Laxus replied. "I assume that was you."

"Maybe," Lucy said. She tried to walk past him, but his arm blocked her way. He had a habit of doing that she realized, as if his sheer size gave him power.

Laxus' voice echoed, reminding her that they were alone in the forest. "You're avoiding me."

She didn't know what to say. Any sort of denial would sound childish. She heard him step closer, her silence already having answered his question.

"Why?"

Lucy furrowed her brows. "What do you mean why?"

"Why did you leave?"

There was no question as to what he was referring about. "Isn't that what you do when you don't want a repeat?" A one-night stand. She remembered reading about it in one of the many books she's stolen over the years.

She thought she heard a slight tinge of anger laced in his voice. "And that's what you want?" He was close enough that she felt his heat against her side.

"Yes," Lucy whispered, though she knew her body answered differently. And curse his senses because instead of getting angry, he chuckled.

She took a sharp inhale when he suddenly spun her around by the shoulders and slammed her into a nearby tree. He leaned in just close enough so that she felt his presence, but not enough for their chests to touch.

Laxus' voice was rough, to the point that it nearly sounded like a growl. "You can't deny what's between us."

She didn't. Lucy was tempted, but she couldn't take the risk.

"I don't have time for whatever this is," Lucy said, gesturing to the both of them. "I don't have time for 'emotions' or whatever comes with all this."

Laxus then shocked her by snorting. "Don't worry Princess, there won't be any of that." He must have seen her confusion since he continued after a short pause. "It will be purely physical."

Lucy's eyes widened at the meaning of that statement, and she felt her body heating up in response. But she shook her head. Any sort of relationship would be dangerous. Physical or not.

Laxus looked disappointed. "I'm not going to force you, but I've always thought that you were a woman who simply took what she wanted."

"And this is what I want?" Lucy knew she was tempting him, and herself. She knew she should've expected his response.

Laxus leaned in to whisper into her ear. "Yes."

She couldn't prevent the shiver that went down her spine. Even amidst the smell of the forest, she could catch his unique scent. Fresh storms. Laxus didn't say anything else, merely giving her the time to think. But when she said nothing in return, he took a step back, turning towards the cabins.

He only took one step more before her hand burst forth to grab his wrist.

"No attachments."

She could hear the smile in his voice as he turned around. "No attachments."

From that moment on there was no going back. When his sharp eyes stole hers, she wasn't sure if any of this was a good idea anymore.

Lucy hated to admit it, but what happened that first night had frightened her. Knowing that there were moments when she was completely bare to him – no weapons, no armour – chilled her to the bone. It was the reason why she had avoided the subject after the fact. She was too afraid to admit that she had let him see…her.

But right now, that chill was amplified since alcohol was no longer a factor in the equation.

She saw him clearly, just as he did.

Laxus' eyes felt predatory as they trailed over her body, following the movement of his hands when they slowly began to peel off her clothes. He went slow, as if he wanted to savour the moment. Or as though he was afraid that she would run.

It wasn't a far-off idea.

She shuddered when she felt the wind brush against her skin, their clothes shed and strewn all over the forest floor. Her wrist cuffs remained, but aside from that, she was completely bare. Underneath that heavy gaze of his, she felt…

Vulnerable.

A few months prior and she never would have allowed for this to happen. To stand before another with little to no protection. It was terrifying, but at the same time, riveting.

With his first touch, she knew she was at his mercy. Like she was his prey. He could kill her in that very moment and there was nothing she could do to stop him. Maybe that was what made it thrilling, the feeling of relinquishing some semblance of trust to someone.

His hands skimmed across the surface of her skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. His lips trailed kisses down her neck, but when he started to linger on one particular spot – one familiar spot – she immediately placed a hand against his chest.

"You leave marks on me again, and I'll kill you."

She felt the vibrations of his chuckle against her skin. "You didn't like my gifts the first time?"

Lucy figured her glare was enough of a response.

Laxus smirked, "All right, all right." And he resumed his actions. She didn't think she could remain at his painstakingly slow pace, and she realized neither did he. With one catch of her breath, the tight wire between them snapped. Gentle exploration turned into hot passion. His touch ignited flames inside her body and they frantically clawed at one another, attempting to recreate the night they barely remembered.

But that night no longer compared to this.

It wasn't a gentle lovemaking. No. It was wild and carnal. His fingers entered her roughly, eliciting a sharp hiss. She shot him a glare. He answered with a smirk. Her eyes soon lost their focus when he rocked his fingers inside her. She leaned her head back against the tree, feeling the bark dig into her skin. Waves of heat rippled through her body.

She stifled a cry when his thumb made its way to the bundle of nerves above her core.

Laxus chuckled, "No one can hear you out here Princess."

She shot him another glare, but it immediately lost its intensity the moment he entered her. This time she heard her own voice echo through the woods. She prayed that no one was taking a midnight stroll, but the longer she spent pressed against the trunk of the tree, pleasure rippling over in her heavy waves, the less she cared.

Lucy could feel his arrogance through the smirk against her breast, smug that he was the source of her unravelling. With a tightening of her core, she felt his lips twist into a strangled groan. When he looked up, she returned his previous gesture.

Laxus took it as a challenge. Lucy held back her disappointment when he pulled out of her, only to yelp out in surprise when he flipped her around. Her hands automatically placed themselves against the trunk, just in time to brace against the strength of his rough thrust back into her body. Her low moan was ripped from her throat as Laxus continued with passion.

Suddenly her entire body jolted as a rush of pleasure shot up her spine.

His attitude was back. "It's there isn't it."

Lucy didn't have the time to conjure up a reply before he focused all his attention on hitting that one spot inside of her. White bursts of ecstasy filled her vision, filling her senses to the brim until she crashed into the abyss. A cry, foreign to her, was ripped from her lips. She lost all sense of her surroundings, riding the high until it ebbed. It wasn't long until she felt Laxus tense up inside of her. His low groan rippled against her back before he fell on top of her, heaving.

They gave each other a moment's rest before they retrieved their clothes, scattered across the forest floor. They were silent, both still thrumming with satisfaction. But they knew that the sun would soon rise. They remained quiet because words were unneeded. Instead, their unspoken agreement hung heavily between them.

With one last heated look, they retreated to their respective cabins, both knowing that they were not to speak of this to a single soul.

Lucy managed to sneak in a shower before she collapsed to her bed. Her body had calmed down, but her spirit kept her wide awake. It was from a combination of her newly formed connection with her demons, and her encounter in the woods. She looked to Levy from across the cabin, fast asleep, content to dream. The blue-haired mage knew nothing of what just happened.

And for some reason, it excited her.

* * *

"Alright!" Erza's voice rang throughout the field. "Now that the physical exercises are over, it's time to train our magic." She proceeded to issue out commands. All the first years lined up in pairs.

Lucy grinned as she stood across from Gray. She had been waiting for this. After that one night underneath the stars, she had felt…stronger. She didn't know she was capable of forming such a connection with her demons. And now, one week later, she felt ready to put them to the test. Gray eyed her down as they circled around one another. She knew that his grudge against her had long ended, but there was no way that he was at peace with her demons. Which meant he would give his all when they fought.

It was just what she needed.

As the air chilled around her, Lucy reached for her cuffs. To her delight, the sting of the needles had lessened, her demons' bloodthirst having lessened since her acceptance of them. Warm heat burst through the cold air like a raging current as she called upon a familiar demon.

"Open! First Demon Gate of the Beast! Ifrit!"

Power rippled through her body as she felt him rise through the gates of Hell. The pain that used to rack her brain no longer tormented her. She had felt disconnected before, but now she felt his presence surrounding her. It made her powerful.

Ifrit roared as he ascended. "Ojou-chan." He cracked his neck and turned to her with a sly smile on his human face. "Glad to be of service to such a beautiful woman." His fiery red hair glistened in the sunlight. It still threw Lucy off that her demons had human forms.

"Hey, are we doing this or what?" Gray taunted from the other end of the field.

"Certainly," Ifrit answered for Lucy before he charged.

Gray smiled at the brink of their fight before fire clashed against ice. Swirls of flame enveloped the spear of ice that was immediately thrown at her. Lucy laughed, thrilled by Gray's determination. She was no stranger to those who wanted to attack the summoner. It was a smart move.

But one she had long prepared for.

Ifrit had wanted to surround her with a wall of fire to protect her, but Lucy was having none of that. Instead she told him to infuse his flames into her daggers before she joined in as well. She blocked Gray's ice sword with a grunt before he was forced to retreat when Ifrit charged. Gray skid around the battlefield on a floor of ice before sliding right behind Lucy with a well-timed punch.

Lucy coughed as she was sent crashing into the trees behind her, but rose to her feet with a smile. Gray watched her closely as she approached again, but Lucy's attention was towards her cuffs.

She had wanted to try this for a while now, but she had never been sure of its success. But what better time to try than right now. Ifrit turned his head in concern, but she quelled his protests with a stern glare.

This time she did feel the pain as the cuffs dug into her skin, but it was welcomed. The blood ripped from her veins as she reached for a second gate. Her breath quickened and her head swam, but she pushed on, determined to make this work. She lost sight of her surroundings as she envisioned the gate of stone and earth.

"Open! Third Gate of the Titan! Gaia!"

She pushed with all her might and when the midnight beauty stood before her, she breathed a sigh of relief. Standing tall in tribal clothes, Gaia turned around to address her.

"Ojou-sama," Gaia bowed deeply, though Lucy could hear the disciplinary tone laced in her voice. "That was dangerous."

Lucy knew that it was. Summoning two demons at once took a tremendous amount of blood. Not to mention that they were two of the Nine. But Lucy had wanted to push herself. And look where she is now.

"I'm fine," Lucy said through gritted teeth. But she wasn't. She could feel the familiar light-headedness of anemia settling in. She didn't have much time, but she wanted to reach the limit. "Let's do this."

Lucy thought she heard Gaia sigh, but that must've been a hallucination. Gray, having passed through his state of shock at seeing two demons, geared up again. Already he had an ice cannon aimed towards her. When the shot fired, Lucy was too tired to move, but Gaia was already in position, breaking apart the ice with a stone fist.

Ifrit was also in line, moving in on Gray who was forced to stay on his toes. Lucy watched through hazy eyes, noticing the slight miscommunications with her demons as they engaged in combat. She kept track of their mistakes so that they could improve on them in the future.

When Lucy knew her time was up, she signalled to her demons to end the fight. Gray also looked exhausted from blocking attacks on two fronts. She could tell that he was also ready to end this. Their eyes locked from across the field.

With a speed that Lucy didn't know Gray still had, he conjured up a set of ice arrows. Before Ifrit could melt them, they shot in her direction. Gaia created a wall of earth to block the majority of them, but both Gaia and Lucy failed to see the last arrow that rounded the bend.

"Lucy watch out!"

Lucy's eyes lost focus just as she saw a body slam into her own. She felt a blaze of heat around her for a brief second before it died down. By that point Lucy had run out of magic and her demons were forced back to the underworld.

"Hey Natsu! What the hell was that for?!" Gray shouted from across the battlefield. But Lucy could tell that even he was one minute away from passing out, having already fallen to his knees.

"What were you doing aiming for Lucy like that!" Natsu retorted.

Gray breathed heavily. "What are you talking about? This was a match, of course I was going to be serious!"

Natsu opened his mouth to protest, but Lucy placed a hand against his chest and tried to push him off her. "Natsu, what was that?"

"What are you talking about Lucy, I was just trying to help."

A spark of annoyance travelled down Lucy's spine. "Natsu I don't need your help," she bit, "I can handle things myself."

"I-"

"Let me up Natsu," Lucy warned, anger bubbling at the surface. How could he? Jumping into her fight like that. She was fine. It was her own weakness that led to that final arrow coming through. She should've bore the pain of her own miscalculation.

"Lucy-"

"Natsu." Lucy saw his flinch, but she was too riled up to care. He slowly moved from her, and she stood to her feet. But the moment she did, the wave of dizziness returned and her knees buckled. Natsu's hands came to steady her, but she swatted them away. She just barely caught the look of hurt in his eyes as she stumbled away to her cabin.

Lucy collapsed onto her bed the moment she made it inside. She saw a blinking flash of light in the corner of her eye, but ignored it as the darkness settled in.

* * *

When Lucy finally woke up, night had already arrived. Feeling much better, Lucy sat up and wiped away the drowsiness from her eyes. The flash of light caught her attention and she reached towards her night stand to pick up her phone. She turned on the screen to a couple of messages, but the final one had her dropping the damned thing to the ground.

It was a message from Jackal.

' _It's time.'_

Lucy lost the ability to breath as the pressure built against her chest. Her heart raced and she could hear each beat within her ears. Fear crept up her spine until it consumed her entire body.

No. This couldn't be.

Her hands shook as she reached down to pick up the device from the ground, her eyes trained on the body across the room from her. A small part of her remained amazed that Levy could sleep through all the noise she made. Lucy turned back to the phone and reread the message, but no matter how she wanted to interpret it, it remained the same.

' _It's time'_ …

Lucy closed her eyes, trying to regain composure. This couldn't be happening. Why did they want her back now? She didn't understand. Frustration bubbled in her chest and she growled in irritation. First there was Natsu's interruption in the afternoon and now this message in the middle of the night.

She needed a distraction.

Lucy didn't know how it happened, but minutes later she found herself standing in front of a lone cabin. Twice the size of the one she bunked in, she cursed its owner for his luxuries. She banged on the door with impatience and heard the annoyed grunt from inside the cabin. She caught his sleep filled eyes when the door opened.

"Seriously Princess, at this time of night-"

Lucy shut Laxus' mouth with her own before pushing herself inside, slamming the door behind her.

She found herself pressed against it moments later.

* * *

Lucy felt the adrenaline build up inside of her as she stared at the course ahead. It was the final assessment of the training camp, designed to put all their skills to the test. She looked beside her, eyeing down the rest of the first years as she stared down her competition. It was a simple race to the finish line, but Lucy knew that nothing was ever simple with Fairy Tail.

She caught Natsu's eye, but quickly looked away. She was still a little mad at him for helping her.

The moment the signal to start was blasted into the air, Lucy lost all extraneous thoughts. Thoughts like the messages she kept on receiving after she ignored the first one. Thoughts like the calls she kept turning down when the sender of said messages knew they were being ignored. Thoughts like the continuing build up of fear that continued to consume her.

' _Come back.'_

' _Stop ignoring me. Mard Geer will get angry.'_

' _You know what happens when he's angry.'_

'… _you can't hide forever.'_

No, she threw all those away because that was all that could keep her going.

Lucy moved through the first few obstacles with ease, designed to test simple physical fitness. Next she dodged a couple of magic bullets before slicing some down herself. She summoned Cerberus to destroy a few test dummies, enhanced with magic. She wasn't allowed to use flight magic in this course, but she used Naberius to warn her of what was ahead.

So Lucy was prepared when she met the wall covered in slime. She summoned Gaia to form grapples in the stone wall, to aid her climb. But it was slow. Even with Gaia's help, she kept slipping. She huffed in frustration when Natsu and Gray passed by her. She moved one hand upwards to the next handle. She was so close; she could see the top.

Her hand slipped.

Lucy was prepared for the fall, but a split second later she felt a sharp sting in her shoulder as it was jerked. Lucy looked up and saw Natsu with his hand around her wrist. He was leaning over the edge of the wall.

"Natsu, let go! I don't need your help!" Lucy shouted with annoyance. But Natsu didn't let go.

"Lucy stop being so stubborn," Natsu said. "We're supposed to be a team!"

But Lucy shook her head and instead tried to free her wrist from his hand. If she couldn't even get through this course on her own, how was she supposed to deal with everything else? How was she supposed to stay away from Tartaros? How could she protect…her freedom?

She had to do this herself. She couldn't see another way.

Lucy ripped her wrist away. But with her action, she didn't notice Natsu loosing his own hold on that wall. With a yelp Natsu was thrown off the wall, Lucy falling suit. But with quick reflexes Lucy grabbed hold of a previous handle. Gaia quickly encased Lucy's hand with stone to prevent her from slipping.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted as she reached for his hand, but she lost his grip as he fell to the ground. She flinched when he landed with a thud. Her heart stopped for a moment, but she breathed out a sigh of relief when he simply sat back up, slightly dazed but perfectly fine. She had forgotten how strong his constitution was.

Having confirmed that Natsu was alright, Lucy continued her climb.

"Lucy! Wait for me!"

Lucy ignored Natsu's request, fueled by her desire to accomplish this on her own. She had no one to prove to but herself. But she was her harshest critic. One hand over the other, Lucy climbed to the top, breathing in the clean, warm air when she made it to the top. She looked over the edge to the deep lake in front of her. She surveyed the forest around it, but noted that they were blocked off. Looking a little further, she noticed another pool of water not too far off.

Lucy figured out her next move.

"Lucy wait!"

No, she didn't need Natsu's help. She didn't need anyone's help. She _had_ to do this by herself. She just had to.

With no more hesitation, Lucy swan-dived into the lake. The water hit her harder than she expected, with small pricks of pain blasting against her face. She opened her eyes, but was stunned by the inky darkness of the water. The light didn't make it down this far, leaving Lucy disoriented.

Lucy forced herself to calm, reminding herself that she didn't have much time. She had to summon Valea for air.

But Lucy's eyes widened the moment her mouth opened and bubbles escaped from her throat.

She couldn't speak.

Words were the epicenter of a summoning. The heart of each ritual was burned into each of the characters. Without them…she was helpless. How could she have forgotten such a simple matter? Was she so consumed by her fear of failure that she lost sight of such a fundamental detail?

Lucy started to panic as her plans unravelled. She was supposed to summon Valea for air, then use Leviathan to propel her through the water. That was the plan. But now, it was all…a mess. She was so alarmed that she forgot that she needed to breathe…until she needed to breathe.

As her lungs started to burn, Lucy clawed at her throat. She scrambled in the water trying to make up from down, but was utterly lost. All around her was pure darkness. She couldn't see, she could no longer think.

And now…she couldn't breathe.

Just as the cold fingers of unconsciousness dragged her under, Lucy caught the slightest hint of warmth.

* * *

Pain shot up Lucy's throat as she coughed with intensity. She wheezed as she breathed in air as though she was starved from it. Turning to the side, Lucy felt water leaving her lungs as her chest convulsed.

Voices blended together until Lucy forced herself to focus. She turned to face the light as her eyes slowly opened. She panicked when she caught black, but she soon realized that they belonged to Natsu's eyes. They were wide with concern and only inches away from her face.

Natsu quickly moved backwards and Lucy caught the deep redness across his cheeks.

"Lucy…are you alright?" Natsu asked hesitantly.

Lucy managed to speak through more coughs. "I think I'm fine."

"Lucy! I'm so glad you're okay!" Blue entered Lucy's vision as Happy leaned in over her. "When Natsu pulled you out of the water you weren't breathing. We were so scared! Then Natsu tried to help you by kis-" The rest of Happy's words were muffled when Natsu hugged him to his chest.

"You saved me?" Lucy croaked. Her throat still burned. In the corner of her eye, Lucy caught Wendy heading over.

Natsu scratched the back of his head with one hand. "Y-Yeah."

Lucy couldn't tell whether it was because of Natsu's close proximity or not, but warmth blossomed in her chest. "…Thanks."

Lucy wondered whether Natsu was burning up himself, since she swore his cheeks darkened even further. But before he could answer, Erza barged in.

"Alright, it's time to get Lucy back to her room," Erza said, quickly lifting Lucy to her feet. "Come on Levy!" The blue-haired mage nodded and wrapped her arm around Lucy's side. As they carted her away, Lucy glanced back towards the pink-haired mage. She gave him another smile before turning back around.

So maybe she didn't have to do this all by herself…

* * *

Lucy once again woke up in the middle of the night. This time to the annoying shrill of her phone. Lucy still experienced small heart attacks whenever the device makes any sort of sound around any of her guildmates, but she had to remind herself that they couldn't hear it.

Exasperated, Lucy finally decided to pick up. Using the slight bit of confidence she gained from today's events, Lucy gave him an answer. "No."

She heard the growl from the other side of the phone. _"Sis…"_

"I'm not coming back."

" _You don't have a choice."_

Lucy wanted to shout, but reminded herself that Levy was right next to her. So, she whispered as loud as she could. "I do have a choice, and this is me making it. I'm not going back. _Ever._ "

" _You know what happens when Mard Geer gets involved."_ Lucy couldn't help but hear the slightest bit of concern over the phone.

"He can't drag me back here."

" _No he won't. You will come back on your own."_

Lucy sucked in a breath because she knew it was true.

" _Mard Geer's pets always do."_

Lucy barely heard the click as Jackal hung up. Hands shaking again, Lucy found herself going through the now regular routine. When the wooden door stood in front of her, it swung open before she could knock. She didn't know how he knew she was coming. She stepped forward, determined to push her fears to the back of her mind, but he halted her advances.

Laxus pushed her fumbling hands away and took one good look at her. She knew he didn't like what he saw. She had a feeling she knew what she looked like. Disheveled, wide-eyed, distressed. She could feel it in her bones.

He didn't say a word. It was what she liked about their arrangement. He never asked questions. Not even when she barged in in the middle of the night.

Lucy was confused when he simply led her to the bed. Instead of stripping themselves of their clothes, he pulled her down with him…and embraced her. Lucy stiffened, not used to this level of intimacy with the dragon slayer, but for some reason he seemed to absorb all of her negativity like a sponge. And she felt comfortable letting him do so.

Before long, she let loose.

Lucy had no idea how long she shook in his arms, but after finally calmed down, she finally succumbed to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Laxus woke up to the morning light streaming through the glass window in his cabin. He shifted to sort out the kinks in his back when he noticed a weight resting against his chest. Disoriented, he looked down to see a head of blonde. It was then that he remembered last night. It was uncharacteristic of him to do what he did. They had made things quite clear. No attachments. But for some reason, seeing her on his doorstep, body trembling, eyes wide and red with what he could only tell as fear, awakened a sense of responsibility in him. So, he took her in, no questions asked. Because it wasn't in his ability to do so.

Laxus chuckled when he remembered how uncomfortable they both were, lying together with no semblance of sexual charge between them. It was a first. But he was glad when she finally calmed enough to fall asleep. He stayed awake for a few minutes later just to make sure she was okay. He told himself it was only for duty's sake.

A sharp rap on his door had Laxus turning towards it with a groan.

"Laxus! It's morning!" It was Freed. Punctual as always.

Laxus was about to get up and answer it, when he remembered just what was clinging onto him. Or better yet, who. Suddenly realizing how compromising this situation would look, Laxus scrambled for an answer.

"F-Five more minutes Freed," Laxus grunted as his eyes searched for an escape. His arm shifted as he moved, causing Lucy to groan in her sleep. He thanked the gods that Freed lacked a similar hearing ability like his own.

"…Are you in there with someone?!" Scratch that. Freed had ears like a bat.

Laxus grunted. "Of course not." He quickly threw the covers over Lucy's body, then berated himself for forgetting that Freed couldn't see her in the first place since the door was closed. "I'll be out in a few Freed."

"Alright!" Freed shouted. "I'll see you at breakfast."

Laxus grunted a reply before he removed the sheets from a disgruntled Lucy. She let out a yawn before stretching out like a cat beside him. He tried not to notice that she was only wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of panties. Did she cross the campgrounds wearing just that?

Seeing her next to him, Laxus couldn't help but ask. "You alright?"

Lucy's eyes flashed before she looked away. She slinked off the mattress before padding towards the bathroom, tangling a hand in her long blonde hair. She turned back with an empty stare. "I thought we said no questions."

"I said no attachments, not no questions," Laxus replied.

"Questions lead to attachment," Lucy said. She left no room for his response as she turned on his shower. Laxus sighed and leaned back against his headboard. His eyes flickered occasionally to the bathroom.

That woman never failed to confuse him. With her actions last night and reactions this morning, Laxus was left confounded. He let himself dwell in his thoughts until a sharp buzz of electricity gathered his attention. His eyes turned towards the weird device sitting on his night stand. He remembered that tiny thing. Lucy walked in with it clenched tightly in her hand the night before. He practically wrenched it away from her.

Laxus picked him piece of mundane technology in his hand. He never did quite understand Lucy's fascination with the thing. But he found himself following the instructions on the device anyways. 'Swipe to open', it said to him. So, he did. And for a brief moment in time, Laxus thought he saw an image on the insanely bright screen. But just like that, it disappeared. He thought he was hallucinating, but before he could search for the missing image, the shower turned off. Quickly returning the devil's device to his night stand, Laxus leaned back against his headboard, hands behind his head as if nothing had happened.

Lucy re-entered his bedroom, hair dripping wet, clad in only a small white towel. Laxus let his eyes wander across her silky skin before they settled on her raised brow. He held his breath. It was as if the woman knew he had snooped or something. But then they travelled further south and Laxus realized that she was eyeing something else. He felt the smirk grow on his face, but before Lucy could conjure up a snarky reply, her eyes caught the blinking light by his table.

Lucy's actions felt memorized and robotic as she picked up the strange device and swiped it open. But the moment her eyes landed on the bright screen, whatever life Laxus had seen return to her this morning, vanished in a heartbeat. Her face paled and her breathing evened out. In fact, it was too even. A chill settled over the room.

Lucy's voice sounded lifeless. "I need to go." And before Laxus could stop her, she was out the door. Still wearing just the towel.

"O-Oi!" But it was already too late. Luckily it was still too early in the goddamn morning for people to be walking around. Curse Freed and his early morning habits.

His eyes stayed trained on his open cabin door. He had no idea what just came over Lucy just now.

But whatever it was, it wasn't good.

* * *

Lucy's brain had shut down. Her body ran on stiff commands, her only goal her cabin. When she entered, only a sliver of her consciousness noticed that Levy was not there. Her mind was on autopilot as she stripped herself of her towel and donned her usual clothes. She laced up her black corset and zipped up her dark pants before strapping her daggers onto her thighs. Normally the heat would've made her body protest, but today everything felt cold.

Her feet carried her out of her cabin, one in front of the other until she was heading towards the woods. She thought she passed by someone, but she gave them no second thought as she continued.

"Lucy where are you going?!"

Where was she going? As the wind picked up underneath her feet, Lucy's mind cleared. She knew exactly where she was going. Naberius carried her off the island, and Lucy ignored the protests from the ground. Soon enough only the sea was below her.

 _It's time._

Her hand clenched the dreaded phone with a grip that should've crushed it.

 _You don't have a choice._

But it remained solid, heavy. There was a single image on that device that remained burned on the forefront of Lucy's mind. Sent from an anonymous source.

 _Mard Geer will get angry._

A single hand fan, covered with a rich splash of crimson blood.

 _You know what happens when Mard Geer gets involved._

* * *

 ** _A/N: I know its been forever. But to my defense I've been working non-stop for the past month and on most days past midnight. I barely had the time to sleep let alone time to write. But I survived! Finally done with this project so I've gotten back into writing this. Glad to see that you guys are still with me._**

 ** _Until the next chapter!_**


	21. Fifth Demon Gate of the Dimensions

**Chapter 21**

Naberius flew as fast as she could, but even then, it wasn't fast enough for Lucy. She scrambled to call back the nameless messenger, but received no response. With each second that passed, her heart dropped further into her stomach. Her body grew numb and her mind weak as she waited, unable to do anything.

The moment Lucy's feet touched the ground she ran as fast as she could. She shoved people out of the way, scrambling towards that one place. That one place she had finally accepted as the closest thing she had to a home.

When Lucy finally reached the club's entrance she bounded up its stairs two steps at a time. Without even planning, or thinking about the dangers on the other side, she threw open the door. Gone was her usual greeting 'Welcome to Mama's'. What welcomed her now was the overwhelming scent of blood. Strong enough that she could taste the iron inside her mouth. Anyone else would've gagged at the stench, but she wasn't just anyone.

It was still fresh.

 _No._

Caution finally caught up to her as Lucy walked down the hallway. What used to be a familiar blue was now dyed a crimson red, dripping down the walls. She hadn't taken ten steps before she came across her first body. Face slashed, clothes torn to shreds and body stabbed too many times to count. Her beautiful blonde hair was now a matted mess resting along the floor. Her eyes screamed at her for help, but Lucy could do nothing.

 _Kitty._

Lucy gritted her teeth, but continued to walk. Anger bubbled inside the pit of her stomach with each step she took and each new girl she saw. Dead. All of them. And when her shaking hands threw open the doors to the main lounge, her breath vanished.

Blood dripped down the walls like thick human paint. Bodies draped over the couches, many collapsed on their front as if caught in mid crawl. Others lied on their backs, mouths open in a silent scream. The dim lights cast an eerie shadow across the collection of men and women, but she only cared for the latter of the two.

Anger boiled and bubbled out of her every pore. But the moment she saw that one body, lying in the middle of them all, time stopped.

 _Mama._

Breath knocked out of her, Lucy fell to her knees next to Mama's broken body. Even with her throat slit, her eyes were still wide with determination. A sob bubbled in Lucy's throat, but she choked it back. Mama's eyes stared straight into her soul as she reached forward and closed them with one hand. Mama's arm was stretched out in front of her, reaching out for something that was but a foot away.

The blood-soaked fan. Unmoved and no different than the photo sitting in that goddamned phone.

Lucy's blood settled with an eerie calm and her body chilled. Her breaths came out slow and even. Her thoughts and her emotions receded into her mind, closing themselves off. She closed her eyes, but the image remained branded inside her brain.

They opened. She sighed.

"And this is why I don't have nice things," Lucille said, emotionless.

A sharp sound had Lucille straightening up. It originated from further inside the club. Her ears focused as she walked towards the disturbance. She heard the dull whir of the bar fridge and the slick pull of her daggers as they left their holsters.

Her breath slowed as she continued down the familiar hallway towards her room. Her eyes focused on its open door.

Her only warning was change in the winds before a knife flew towards her head. Lucille twisted to avoid its blade only to turn at the advance of another. But there was no attacker, simply knives.

A mage. That was no surprise.

She parred the next, never stopping in her advance towards paradise. When she crossed the threshold, five floating knives greeted her. Their sharp tips were geared towards her every move.

Their owner was not impressed.

"I was told that there would only mage here." He sounded afraid.

He should be.

Her eyes flickered across the room. The white wall was branded with one bloody sigil. Finally, one she recognized. _Devil's Tongue_. A child guild of Tartaros.

"Who are you?" The man shouted. His knives shook along with his voice.

Lucille smiled, but it felt crooked, "It doesn't matter anymore." She lifted her daggers.

She had never thought the sweet choke of death could be melodious until now.

She told herself, he deserved it.

Lucille returned to the lounge after calmly washing her hands. She scanned around, trying to plan her next move.

 _That's quite the mess you've got here, missy._

Lucille's breath hitched. The voice echoed inside her head. Was she asleep? The strong scent of blood said otherwise. She was awake. This was new.

 _Include me next time will ya?_

She spoke out loud, though only the corpses would hear her. "Who are you?" A sharp pain shot through her head.

 _Demanding. I like it._

 _My name?_

 _Khora._

Another demon? From what Gaia had told her, that voice must belong to one of the Twins. Lucille smiled. For once, she was excited to welcome it.

Walking across the lounge, she picked up Mama's fan. Carrying it back to her hidden side room, she was pleasantly surprised to find it unscathed. Opening the fan, blood still trailing down the flowered pattern like heavy rain, she leaned it against the wall on top of her book drawer.

A reminder of what happened that fateful night.

* * *

Natsu turned towards the direction Lucy had run. Where was she going? That direction was towards the beach. He moved to follow, but was unable to catch up when Lucy took to the skies. What was happening?

Natsu turned back towards the grounds, running into Lucy's cabin. When he arrived, he found that Lucy had taken most of her things.

"Natsu? What are you doing here?"

Natsu spun around to the doorway and found Levy standing there with her hands on her hips. From the looks of it, she had just gone for a run. "Levy, did you know where Lucy went?" Maybe she'd have more information.

Levy shook her head. "No…actually I didn't see her when I woke up this morning either." She looked around the room. "That's odd…"

Natsu furrowed his brows. He wasn't sure who to ask after Levy. He left and was heading towards the cafeteria when he saw a flash of blonde in the corner of his eye. Turning in a panic, Natsu let out a sigh of frustration when all he saw was Laxus. But wait…he was heading in the direction that Lucy went. Natsu followed, trailing Laxus into the woods.

But it wasn't long before he was caught.

"What are you doing?" Laxus asked, coming to a stop.

The leaves crunched below his feet as Natsu halted. "Where are you going?"

"That's none of your business," Laxus said.

Natsu didn't want to argue. "You're looking for Lucy." He could tell that Laxus was following her scent.

Laxus looked away.

"Why?" Natsu asked. How did he know she was missing already?

"Something doesn't feel right."

Natsu frowned. What did Laxus mean by that? He wanted to ask more, but a small feeling in his gut told him that he didn't have the time. "She left."

Laxus turned back to him abruptly. "Where?"

"I'm not sure…she flew off the island."

Laxus growled low in frustration. "Let's go." He quickly continued down the pathway and Natsu scrambled to follow.

"What's going on?!" Natsu pushed.

Laxus looked up at the sky. "I have a bad feeling about this…"

* * *

Lucille ran a hand through her hair before stalking out of the club and down the street. The cold chill had nothing on the temperature of her blood as she walked deeper into the dark side of the city. She made no pause even as she crossed over into Tartaros territory.

She lost track of time, but it was long enough that her heels protested in pain. She stopped when she reached the dark mansion. Housed in the middle of the country side. Child guilds of Tartaros weren't the type to flaunt their presence like other guilds. Especially not with the type of work they usually dealt with. But these kinds of people tended to be arrogant.

She glanced down at the two bloody guards at her feet.

Too arrogant.

There was nothing nearby. Crickets chirped, and gentle winds brushed across the grass. No one would hear their screams.

Lucille was about to step inside the mansion when a sharp pain shot through her brain.

 _Care to let me play?_

Lucille scowled, noting afterwards that she had done that to thin air. "They're mine."

 _Then let me help you ensure they don't escape._

Lucille raised a brow. "How?"

 _Summon me and you'll find out._

"…Fine." Lucille took a deep breath before pressing hard on her wrist cuffs. Her pulse pounded against the material.

 _You're going to need more than that missy._

Lucille gritted her teeth, the hammering in her head growing impatient. "You'll get the rest in a few moments." Her surroundings grew blurry. A distorted image, a gate, taller than the ones that belonged to elementals, appeared in front of her. Warped and wavering, its essence continued to change in front of her eyes, as if it couldn't decide what or where it wanted to be. Focusing, she pressed her hands against the gate, grinding her teeth as she pushed. She felt the blood drain from her wrists.

The words ripped out of her throat.

"Arise! Fifth Demon Gate of the Dimensions! Khora!"

The space in front of her twisted and warped as a humanoid male figure walked through. It took a few seconds for Lucille to make out the image in front of her. Two sets of pierced horns peaked out of wild spiked hair, followed by dark eyes that gleamed in the moonlight.

"What? Expecting something else?" Khora grinned wide. "I don't need a scary figure to be terrifying."

"I'll keep that in mind," Lucille said. "Now," she turned back towards the door, "show me."

Khora pouted, "So _bossy_." He turned towards the mansion and snapped his fingers.

The entire mansion disappeared right in front of her eyes, leaving only the fields of grass in its wake.

Lucille gasped, "What did you do?" She whipped around, eyes blazing.

Khora raised his hands up in mock defense. "Don't worry missy. Just somewhere where you won't be disturbed. Somewhere they won't be able to run away."

Lucille raised a brow before realization sunk in. "Take me there."

"At your command." He did a quick glance over her figure. "Judging by your magic levels, I'd give you fifteen minutes. Keep in mind the longer you spend in there the less magic you'll be able to use."

"You don't need to worry about that," Lucille said. She pulled out her two daggers and sharpened them against one another. They gleamed bright underneath the pale moonlight. "I'm not using it."

"Savage. But I like it," Khora said, licking his lips. He walked behind Lucille and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Ready?"

Lucille nodded and closed her eyes. She felt warm breath against her right ear.

"Have _fun_."

Lucille felt a strange twist in her gut and the cold breeze against her body disappeared. The hairs on her arms raised. A few seconds later, everything calmed.

She opened her eyes to more than a dozen weapons pointed in her direction. Guns, knives, rifles to name a few. And feeling the magic pressure in the air, they were all but ready to be fired. She looked up at the banner hanging over the double staircase at the end of the foyer. A familiar symbol was painted in ink instead of blood.

 _Devil's Tongue._

Lucille cracked her neck. "Well isn't this familiar." She lifted her daggers. "Let's have some fun."

* * *

Laxus scented the ugly stench of blood before he even entered the club. His heart beat faster when he caught Lucy's scent along with it. He had a bad feeling the moment Natsu had told him Lucy left. He knew it had something to do with that strange device. It was a split second, but he swore he had seen a fan. A very familiar one.

He would've taken the Raijinshuu with him, but he had no idea what to expect. So he took Erza and Mira instead. Natsu, being as stubborn as he was, refused to stay behind.

Laxus threw open the door and was instantly greeted with the horrid sight of bloody corpses, littered across the ground.

Behind him, Natsu gagged at the sight and stench of the dead. Laxus growled at him to keep it together and ventured further in. The doors to the lounge were already thrown open.

Laxus's hands clenched into tight fists.

"Who could do something like this…" Natsu asked, his voice laced with horror. Laxus frowned. He shouldn't be here. This wasn't something he should have to see.

Though, eventually, you see it all.

Laxus followed Lucy's scent as best he could, but it was hard given the overwhelming stench of copper and iron. He made his way through the lounge and down the back hallway towards a room he knew well. Throwing open the door, his eyes widened at the scene. Right in front of him, dangling from the ceiling fixture by his hands was a dead man. He couldn't tell which one of his stab wounds were the killing blow, but what froze him to the spot was the sigil carved straight into his chest.

 _Tartaros_.

Laxus growled. Did they find her? No that wouldn't make sense. What connection would this man have had? He raced for the bathroom. The hidden room was locked. A spark of his electricity tricked the lock into opening. He slowly walked inside, not knowing what he hoped to find inside.

But it was calm, no sign of struggle anywhere. This room didn't fit in with the rest of the club. Lucy's scent was strong. She must have been here not too long ago. But where could she have gone? Did they take her? No she would've struggled that's for sure.

The fact that everything was still in tact sent a strange chill down his spine. Even more chilling were the set of bloody footprints that lead towards the bookshelf. And on that bookshelf was one bloody fan.

 _Shit._

Laxus immediately stalked out of her room, closing the hidden door behind him. By the time he walked out of the bathroom, someone had already walked in.

Erza's lips pressed together in a flat line. "This is…excessive. Even for a dark guild." She walked closer, but then she looked past the man. Laxus followed her line of vision until he saw the bloody sigil on the wall. How did he miss that the first time?

It wasn't the same sigil as the one on the man's body. There was a darker crimson line drawn through it, but based on the Council's records he had a feeling he knew who's guild that sigil belonged to.

"Devil's Tongue," Erza supplied the answer. "Branch of Tartaros. This wasn't the first time they've been this…flashy. The killings were even in the mundane papers."

Natsu burst into the room. "Lucy's not anywhere here!"

Laxus looked at Erza, and he could see the grim look in her eyes. He turned towards Natsu. "I know where she is. Natsu, go back to the guild, we'll handle it from here."

"No," Natsu said firmly. "I'm coming."

Erza stared at him. "Then you better be mentally prepared."

Natsu's eyes widened slightly, but he nodded.

They walked out, finding Mira still in the middle of the lounge, shaking her head.

"Call my Gramps, Mira," Laxus said. "Tell her we're going to find Lucy."

Mira nodded.

Laxus turned to them all. "Let's go. We don't have time to waste."

* * *

Mira gave them directions as they drove in the magic vehicle deeper into the dark side of the city. Turns out Fairy Tail kept track any known dark guild locations. Natsu had never been this far past the tracks before; he didn't know what to expect. Dark and dirty streets soon turned into dirt roads that headed into the countryside.

The vehicle screeched to a halt next to an empty valley.

"Why are we stopping?" Natsu asked. He thought they didn't have time to waste.

"We're here," Mira said. Her brows furrowed and her lips curled downwards. "This is where their guild is supposed to be."

Natsu squinted into the darkness, but all he saw was grass. "Where is it?"

Laxus stepped out of the car. "Time to find out."

The rest of them followed and they headed into the fields. They didn't walk far until Natsu caught sight of a figure standing in the middle of the field. He growled.

"What is it?" Erza asked.

"There's someone standing in the field," Laxus answered.

They advanced further, all of them alert and ready for combat. The silhouette of a man grew clearer amidst the moonlight. He stood there, staring up at the stairs before looking straight at them.

"Fancy seeing people here so late at night," the man smiled. His smile was eerily bright. "Did you get lost?"

Laxus stepped forward. "You're one of hers aren't you. The stench of demon is all over you. Where is she?"

"Would it kill ya to be a little nicer?" The man pouted. At Laxus's growl, the man raised his hands up.

"Tick tock goes the clock," the man grinned. "I'm not a big teller of time, but I say the missy has about two minutes left. Have a little patience no?"

"Where is she?" Natsu growled.

The man was about to speak, but suddenly he clicked his tongue. His expression darkened, no longer keeping the playful tone he had before. He turned to face the empty space behind him.

"Someone budded into my playground."

* * *

Lucille wasn't supposed to get angry. She was supposed to stay calm and composed, like she had always done. But for some reason, as time passed, the rage built up inside of her. With each slice of her dagger, an image of the girls flashed inside her mind. They'd shout, cry and beg for mercy, but it would fall on deaf ears.

Kitty's face would be stained with tears before blood painted her face. Ruby's hair would no longer be the fiery-red she was used to.

Each flash of their faces fueled her anger.

Lucille cried out as she stabbed into another nameless man. She leapt over his body before she threw her dagger into the woman aiming at her with a magic particle gun. Running straight for her corpse, she flipped over the woman's body, grabbing her dagger in the process before slicing the throat of another.

Their numbers dwindled as fast as they had come at her. Pretty soon, there was but one left. She gave him credit. He didn't cower in fear like the men she was used to killing. No, child guilds of Tartaros had pride. They wouldn't show fear because they knew death would only come faster if they did.

Her dagger rested against his throat. A split moment later, her ears cherished the sound of the blade slicing into his flesh. His body dropped to the ground, blood draining onto the dark marble floors.

Lucille's breath came out in heavy bursts. Slick wetness trailed down her face. Out of energy, she dropped to her knees in the foyer. Her body shook uncontrollably.

 _It's over._

She glanced around the entire foyer. _What have I done?_

A single slow clap cut through the silence, progressing louder as it echoed throughout the halls.

"It always amazes me to see you in action."

Lucille looked up to the second floor balcony at the top of the staircase.

"Silver."

She never was allowed to have much contact with the man. They always said that he'd corrupt her. Now she knew that they meant he would humanize her. He wasn't like the rest. He was human. From what she knew about him, he was just like her, in some aspects. He was tied to Tartaros by debt, but unlike her, he had more at stake. A family. Something she…no longer had.

He, was also the polar opposite of her in another aspect.

He was a demon hunter.

Irony at it's best.

She figured he was kept to keep the others in line, just in case they try to…divert like she had. And here he was doing his job. By taking her back.

Silver glanced down at her, his arms crossed and resting against the banister. The mark of Tartaros can be seen from his left arm.

"Why now?" Lucille asked. She knew if they had wanted her, they would've done this sooner. What made now so special?

Silver's lips flattened. "It's that special time again. It's our turn to host."

Lucille hissed. "That's why you want me back."

"Can't run the show without our star attraction," Silver shrugged. "I heard that Jackal tried to ask you nicely, but you didn't listen. This was just a warning."

"Liar," Lucille said. "This was simply you hitting two birds with one stone. I remember this guild now. It's been too flashy in the news lately, bragging about their conquests. Tartaros didn't like that, so you simply sent me here to finish the job for you."

Silver smiled, but it didn't reach his dark eyes. "It's nice seeing you grow up to be a smart woman."

Lucille couldn't tell whether there was sarcasm in that deep voice of his. Silver reached into his pocket and tossed something at her.

Lucille grabbed the object out of the air and opened her palm. It was stained from the blood on her hands, but she would recognize this from anywhere.

Her glamour ring.

"It pains me to say this to you," – and Lucille really wanted to believe the sympathy in his voice – "but you know what to do. I would hate for another incident to occur with your new friends."

She looked back up, but he was no longer there. Her fist closed tightly over the ring.

"Y-Yes." But her voice cracked, her hands shaking uncontrollably.

She lost. Her little game of freedom was simply what it was. A game. She wondered if Mard Geer had thought her a child for running off. Cold dread filled her bones.

She gave up.

Moisture welled in her eyes, but she didn't dare let them fall. Tears were for the weak, and despite having fallen to the lowest, she refused to be considered such.

She vaguely registered the rapping at the door, before it became heavy slams. She quickly placed the ring on her finger, but did not touch it after that. She turned to face the entrance just as Natsu broke down the door, her eyes immediately locking onto his.

His eyes widened with horror, just like she'd expected them to.

* * *

Natsu could only comprehend the scene before his eyes as a morbid painting. Splashes of crimson filled the canvas, dripping down its sides until it ran off the ends. Frozen corpses were scattered across the portrait, artfully positioned like fallen marionettes. And in the middle sat a broken doll, empty, covered head to toe in dark red.

Dark eyes pierced straight into his soul, lifeless.

Lucy never moved from her position from the middle of the foyer. She stayed still, sitting back against her heels, hands clutched around her daggers like it was her lifeline. Were it not for the rise and fall of her chest, he would have deemed her frozen.

Erza's voice broke their trance. "What have you done?"

Lucy merely blinked at them.

They were interrupted by a small rustling among the corpses before a woman's head poked out from the mess. Her eyes were blazing with fear and anger. In her hands she held a gun. Blood dripped down her forehead, but even then, she managed to gain enough composure to aim. "You crazy-"

The moment the woman's finger pulled the trigger, Natsu knew he wouldn't be able to make it on time. "Lucy watch out!"

The shot was deafening and it was almost as if he was watching it in slow motion. But then, as fast as the concentrated magic bullet left the chamber, it disappeared. And reappeared. Right behind the very woman who shot it. Her choked cry was all he heard before she collapsed onto the pile of corpses below her.

"Oh dear, you missed one missy."

Natsu turned back around to the mysterious man who had made the mansion reappear out of thin air. He casually strolled past them towards Lucy.

"Khora."

The man, put his hands on Lucy's shoulders. "I don't have the power to take you away from here."

Immediately Erza tensed up beside him.

Lucy shook her head stiffly. "It's fine."

'Khora' bowed his head and gave them a lopsided grin before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Erza already had her sword pointed towards Lucy. "Lucy, you've violated the anti-violence code against mages. Even though they were dark mages you shouldn't have used magic."

Lucille blinked. "I didn't use magic."

That fact hit Natsu like a bag of bricks. She did all this…without magic? He looked to the twin daggers in her hands. How?

Mira shook her head. She wasn't as harsh as Erza, but Natsu knew she didn't approve of this either. "I'm sorry Lucy, it doesn't change the fact that you killed them in cold blood."

Lucy's lack of a response confirmed that statement.

Erza's grip on her sword handle tightened. She took a step forward, but Natsu stopped her with one outstretched arm. "Wait."

Natsu took a step forward. Lucy flinched. By the time he stood in front of her, her dagger was up and pointed at him. It hurt him a little, but he realized that right now, Lucy wasn't herself. Her eyes screamed at him for help. They revealed her pain and suffering. The others may not be able to see it, but he did. He didn't' know what any of tonight's events had meant, but one thing to him was certain.

Lucy was broken.

Natsu placed a gentle hand on top of the one holding the dagger facing him, slowly lowering it. He took the final step towards her, dropped down to his knees and pulled her straight into his chest.

She was stiff against him.

He leaned down and whispered into her hair, the scent of blood filling his nostrils. "You can cry."

"Tears are for the weak," she whispered into his shirt.

"No one can see you here."

There was a short pause, but then her strangled sob shot straight into him.

"They killed them…they killed them…" She repeated those words as Natsu felt the moisture soaking into his shirt. He knew it wasn't just blood. "They deserved it."

Natsu couldn't answer that. He simply pulled her tighter until her tears and dried up. When he pulled her body away from his, even the whites of her eyes had gone bloodshot. By that time, Erza was already standing behind him, carrying a pair of cuffs. Her eyes had softened, but only by a smidge.

Lucy didn't protest or struggle when the magic restraining cuffs were placed around her wrists. He helped her stand and limp towards the exit. They passed by Laxus, who had remained silent throughout the entire affair. Lucy and Laxus shared a long look before she walked past him.

Natsu had no idea what had happened tonight.

And he hated his ignorance for it.

* * *

Dark, damp and cold.

The bars to Lucy's cell were made of rusted iron and looked to be a century old. The musky scent of mold and mildew filled her nose and her ears were bombarded by the endless irritating drops of water that fell from the ceiling.

 _Drip. Drip. Drip._

It was driving her insane.

Lucy pulled on her binds, but they were on tight. They cancelled her magic leaving her practically defenseless. The metal chair she was sitting on made her entire backside numb. It was the epitome of uncomfortable.

Lucy didn't know how long she was in the cell for; there was no clock to tell. But eventually she heard footsteps against the stone floor, getting closer and closer. She lifted her head to greet the visitor when they stopped.

"Natsu."

"Hey Lucy." He stayed behind the bars, staring inside. He looked nervous, as if unsure as to what to say. "…Are you okay?"

Lucy laughed, painfully. Her wounds had been taken care of by Wendy before they tossed her into the cell, but they still ached. "That's a loaded question."

Natsu clearly looked upset. His usual grin had all but disappeared. "Why didn't you ask us for help Lucy?"

Lucy flinched. Not once did it cross her mind that she could. "I didn't want you getting caught in my mess."

"That's not how it works at Fairy Tail. We take care of everyone."

Lucy shook her head. "You don't understand." She couldn't involve him. He wasn't meant to witness that kind of darkness.

"Then make me understand," Natsu urged. He looked frustrated. His hands gripped against the bars until his knuckles were white. She could tell that he wanted to come inside.

What was the point of telling him? It's too late now. She had no path left but the one Tartaros laid out of her. They didn't take no for an answer. She had given up.

"Lucy?" Natsu called her name out in concern. He leaned further against the bars.

But she wanted to tell him so badly. She wanted so badly to believe that he _could_ help her. The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them. "They want me back Natsu." She was shocked at how much her voice trembled in terror. It's been a while since she's been this afraid.

"They?" It took Natsu a second to piece everything together, but when he did, his low growl penetrated the air. "They aren't getting anywhere near you Lucy, I promise."

Lucy shook her head. "No, I'm going to go to them. Just like they wanted." She didn't need anymore bloodshed.

"No. You're not."

"You can't stop me Natsu."

"Try me," Natsu said. His dark eyes stared straight into her own, pained and confused. She didn't like seeing him like this. "Why are you giving up so fast?"

"Because I have no choice!"

Natsu shook his head, unconvinced. "Yes you do. You're not in this alone. I promised that I'd protect you."

Lucy turned away.

"This isn't the Lucy I know," Natsu continued. "The Lucy I know would fight tooth and nail before she did something she didn't want to do."

Natsu always had a strange effect over her. He had the power to pull her back from the darkness that wanted to drown her. And right then, he completely dragged her out of the water before dumping her head back in to wake her up from the idiotic thoughts she's been having. His words hit her to the core. The woman she knew herself to be would never give up this soon.

Lucy threw her head backwards and groaned in frustration. "Why do you always have to be right, Natsu?" She felt as though she were breathing air again.

She could practically feel his cocky grin from across the prison bars. His energy was back. "Well it _is_ me."

Lucy rolled her eyes. It was then that she remembered something. Something she wanted to show him. "Natsu come here."

Natsu cocked his head in confusion but stepped as close as he could. Lucy scooted forward in her chair, the chains rattling against the floor.

"Reach into my chest."

Lucy didn't know Natsu was capable of being reduced to a red-faced babbling idiot. "W-What?"

"Just do it."

Natsu's face lit up even more, but he listened to what she said. He slowly reached across the prison bars and into the valley of her breasts. His hands trembled. They felt warmer than usual against her skin and for a second a slow flush settled in her chest. But it disappeared the moment he fished out a crumpled, blood-stained letter. She had found that in the hands of one of the people she slaughtered in that guild. They would be needing it anymore.

"Open it."

When Natsu flipped open the letter, all that was written on it was one word in perfect calligraphy. _'Welcome.'_

"What is this?" Natsu asked, turning the card.

Lucy didn't know much that went on with Tartaros, but this was one of the few things she did know about. It was one of the best kept secrets of the Baram Alliance.

Lucy grinned. "An invitation to the Tri-Baram Tournament."

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Makarov asked. He frowned at the bloody letter placed on his desk.

Natsu nodded. "I believe in Lucy."

Makarov sighed, "I'm not sure that we should."

"Master, I know what Lucy did was wrong, but-"

"I know. It angers me just as much knowing what they did." He looked to the invitation and then to Natsu. "Alright, we'll give this a chance. Gather the others."

Natsu nodded and stepped out of Makarov's office. After he did, he turned to his grandson who was leaning against the wall.

"Laxus. What do you think about all this?"

Laxus snorted. "Unfortunately, I gotta agree with the brat here. This is our best chance at any information on the dark guilds."

"It'll be dangerous."

"When has it ever been otherwise?"

Makarov scanned the room after the others gathered. Laxus, Erza, Mira. All S-Class mages. Natsu, Gajeel and Gray. It was a dangerous combination, their strength was required. The only one he wasn't sure of was Wendy. She was still so young, but after having explained the circumstances to them all, Wendy was all but begging to go. She knew they'd need her healing powers.

"Do each and every one of you understand?"

They nodded. It was simple. Infiltrate the tournament and gain intelligence. They weren't supposed to cause any commotion in order to protect their identities. Once they've got enough, they leave. No exceptions.

"Good. Then there's one more person we need."

The door creaked open and Lucy walked in.

Lucy was ready for the onslaught of protests. Whether it was because she was too dangerous or volatile, or whether she would be vulnerable being around dark guilds. She didn't care. Even though she knew little about the rest of the Baram Alliance, she was sure it was more than anyone else in the room knew. And they'd need her once they were inside. It's a whole different world.

The protests calmed after Makarov explained their circumstances. He was placing a lot of trust on Lucy. Trust that she wasn't sure he should be placing. But this was Lucy's chance at revenge.

If Tartaros wanted her to participate than so be it. But she refused to be a show piece.

This time it'll be on her terms and her terms alone.

 _Tartaros, I'm coming for you._

* * *

 _ **A/N. I'm so sorry this took so long. I completely lost the muse to write for a while and then I went on vacation. Finally forced myself to buckle down to write this chapter. Took me a bit to make sure that I wanted to go in this direction. Thanks everyone for sticking with me. All your reviews and messages have not gone unread and have encouraged me to continue!**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	22. Spriggan

**Chapter 22**

The week passed with haste. Erza ensured all appropriate preparations were made, including finding ways to disguise their appearance. Mira and Wendy packed all the medical supplies, and Laxus attempted to gather as much intel as he could about the invitation. Unfortunately, he didn't come up with much. People on the streets either knew nothing about it, or were too unwilling to say anything.

Lucy was confined to her apartment the entire time, mandated by the Master. She wasn't surprised. She had just murdered an entire guild's worth of people after all. Fortunately, she was under the supervision of one fire-breathing dragon slayer, who was more than happy to keep her company. But Lucy wasn't quite herself, if she even knew what 'herself' was anymore. She had spent most of the days polishing her blades, deep in thought.

"Lucy…are you okay?"

Lucy glanced across the room to where Natsu was sitting on her bed watching her closely. She exhaled and leaned back in her chair, studying the boy. "Do I not look okay?"

"To be honest Lucy, you look terrible."

She couldn't help the laugh that bubbled from her chest. "Sometimes I think you're blunter than I am."

Natsu frowned, sliding off the bed. He crossed her room and crouched in front of her. "I'm serious you know. You look like you haven't slept in days."

"Maybe I'm just excited," Lucy said, sarcastically. "Who wouldn't be?"

"No one should be excited about where we are going," Natsu replied, his voice lowering in displeasure. His eyes darkened a shade as he looked up at her.

Lucy's widened for a slight second.

"You can tell me anything you know," he said with a small shrug.

Lucy tried to smile, but she only managed to move her lips halfway. Instead, she reached forward and ruffled Natsu's hair. For once, she caught the blush gracing his face before he sputtered and stood back up.

She leaned forward and the sound of her chair squeaking pierced through the silence. She watched him shuffle back towards the bed and couldn't help but utter, "Don't go."

His entire back stiffened. "What?"

"Tomorrow," she clarified. "Don't go." She hadn't missed the dark flare in his eyes when he mentioned where they were going the next day. It wasn't anger, like she expected it to be.

It was fear.

Lucy had grown up in the darkness, but for the first time, she was reminded that Natsu had grown up in the light. He was innocent. He may have thought he was ready, but nothing would prepare him for the horrors he might see. Oddly enough, something inside of her wanted to protect him from all that.

But when Natsu turned back around, the fear was gone. Instead he looked hurt. "What are you trying to say?"

"Have you ever killed someone before, Natsu?"

"No, why would I ev-"

"Because I have," Lucy confessed, eyes locking onto his with certainty. "And so will the people at the tournament."

"It won't matter!"

"It won't matter?" Lucy repeated. The chair screeched against the wooden floor as she stood. He backed up after seeing the intensity in her eyes as she walked towards him. "Your enemies aren't looking to play Natsu. This isn't a game. They'll charge at you with the intent to kill. More blood runs through their hands than mine. And trust me. I've got a lot of blood on my hands."

Which made her surprised when he grabbed them. She tried to pull away, but he refused to let go.

"That's what we have our comrades for," Natsu said, quietly.

"Let go."

"We're going in as a team, Lucy. You included. Not as individuals. You need to trust us."

"Natsu-"

"Just at least try?"

She tensed for a moment, but then sighed. "Fine." His grip loosed and she regained her hands.

Natsu gave her a wide-toothed grin, but it wasn't the same as his others. It felt less...cheerful. "Great! I need to head back home to pack my things for tomorrow. I'll see you then." He ran out the door with a slam.

Lucy half-waved at him before heading back inside. Time passed slowly. A few hours later, in the middle of the night, Lucy was still awake. She was staring out her window with Cerberus curled up her lap, when she heard a knock on her door. She frowned. _Odd, did Natsu leave something behind?_ She stood, dumping the mini-hellhound to the ground before making her way to the door. Cerberus grumbled in discontent, but stayed curled up on top of her crumpled sheets by the foot of her bed.

She wasn't expecting to see another dragon slayer at her doorstep.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy hadn't seen Laxus since the night of her 'incident'. She had thought that look they shared was one of mutual understanding, but now she wasn't so sure. He tried to walk in, but her palm against his chest halted his movements. "Again. What are you doing here?"

He raised a brow. "Can't a man be worried about his fellow teammate?"

"Aren't you a little late for that?"

"You know what they say," Laxus said, his arm resting up against the door frame. "Better late than never."

Lucy gave him a onceover. His blonde hair was dishevelled and his white t-shirt was in a similar state of disarray. Dark circles were brewing underneath his eyes. She sighed, giving in to yet another dragon slayer and step backwards into her home. He followed, locked her door and steadily backed her up until she was against her kitchen counter. She felt a hot pulse up her spine as he closed in.

"Seriously?" Lucy said, trying not to lose the staring contest she found herself in. "Now isn't quite the time."

Laxus raised his brow. "I don't know what you mean."

"Do I look like an idiot to you?" she asked, gripping the kitchen counter. It was obvious what he came here for. She sighed. "I don't have time for this." She pushed him back and started heading towards her room. She needed to finish packing, her blades needed to be polished once more, Cerberus needed to be fed and-

"Don't go tomorrow."

She tensed, shocked out of her inner ramble. "What?" She slowly turned around. He stayed where it was, unmoving, with a serious expression on his face.

"You'll only be a liability."

Whatever tension inside her body snapped as rage tore through her bones. "A liability?! I'm the one who found the invitation. I'm the one who understands these people! How they think, how they behave because I'm one of them!" She rambled on, walking towards her. "I will be going tomorrow regardless of what you think! I can handle whatever they throw at me!" she said, poking a finger into Laxus' chest, breathing heavily.

Anger and frustration bubbled underneath her skin as her anxiety flew out the window.

Wait.

Was this how Natsu felt when she told him to stay behind? Did he feel this hurt as well? Hearing those words made her feel weak. She shook her head. "I'm not weak, and I'm not scared of going." _I'm not a liability._

"Then why are you so nervous?" he asked, looking down at her with stormy blue eyes.

Her eyes widened. "Nervous? I'm not-"

"Really? Because it'd take a blind man to not see the tension in your shoulders." He leaned forward, his breath brushing against her neck. The heat from his body radiated from his body and straight into hers. Oddly enough, she felt some of the stiffness in her back loosening.

"What are you doing?" Lucy protested. She tried to back away, but somehow, she had ended up back against the kitchen counter and had nowhere to go.

"Honoring our little arrangement," he whispered against her ear. "Isn't that what I am? A distraction?"

 _A distraction? What for?_ Then she noticed the tremble in the hand that was pressed up against his chest. No matter how she willed it, it wouldn't disappear. Was she really afraid?

"Maybe," Lucy said softly. She slowly glanced up at him, meeting his eyes. It was then that she noticed something else hiding within his gaze. Her eyes lightened in understanding. "Then, what am I distracting you from?"

This time it was Laxus' turn to flinch. He wanted to back away, but she gripped his shirt.

Her gaze softened. "You're scared too."

"So?"

She was a little shocked that he admitted it so easily. Guess they were both afraid then. She pulled him down, stopping with her lips just beneath his. "Maybe we both need this distraction."

"...Maybe."

He closed the last bit of distance between them.

* * *

The next day brought Lucy and the rest of their 'team' into the Master's office. To Lucy's surprise, there were two others added to the roster.

"What are you two doing here?" Gajeel's gruff voice asked as his eyes stared incredulously at the two blue-haired women. Levy glanced at him with determination and Juvia wasn't looking at the man at all, instead her eyes were on a certain dark-haired ice mage.

"The Master assumed none of you would have the sense to record the things you encounter wherever you're going," Levy said with a knowing smile. "So that's what I'm here for. Think of me as the scribe for the mission."

"And Juvia is here for Gray-sama!" Juvia exclaimed. "And to make sure Gajeel-kun doesn't do anything stupid."

Gajeel huffed, but kept silent. Lucy had a feeling he wanted to say more, but she also sensed that the two women wouldn't budge from their decision. It wasn't long before the Master walked in, sitting down behind his large desk. And like a looming omen, he placed the invitation on his desk, black and white, complete with splashes of blood on its corners.

Erza stepped forward. "Master, the final preparations have been made."

Makarov nodded. "Good." He turned to Wendy. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes," Wendy said. She seemed rather adamant on going, even though Natsu told her that Mira had tried to talk her out of it all week. Lucy had to give the girl credit. She was brave.

"Alright," Makarov said. "Shall we start?" He brought out a wooden box onto his desk and lifted the lid. Inside were a set of rings, all identical. Lucy could sense magic radiating from the jewelry.

"What are these?" Natsu asked, leaning in to get a better look. He was shoved back by Gray. "O-Oi!"

"They're illusion rings," Levy interjected before a fight broke out. "A set created just for this mission. It will distort the image that others have of us so that we are not recognized. But to those who wear the rings, you will appear as normal."

"Oh," Gajeel said. "That's some fancy magic."

"T-Thanks," Levy said. "I made them."

"M-Makes sense." Lucy thought she caught the slightest blush on the iron dragon slayer's face. She wondered how much closer the two got in the past few months since he's arrived.

Each of them were presented with a ring. Lucy placed one on the middle finger of her left hand and shivered as she felt a cold hiss pass through her body. When she looked to the others, she could sense something different about them, but they were still recognizable.

"What about our guild mark?" Gray asked.

"Gray's right," Erza said. "Tartaros will have known of Devil's Tongue's destruction. We need a new name."

"Oh! A new name!" Natsu exclaimed, sounded oddly excited. He sprouted a few random suggestions, all of which were nixed within seconds.

Then Lucy spoke up. "Spriggan." They all turned to her. "The dark fairy. Suits our situation, no?"

The lot of them tested the name on the tip of their tongue before they all nodded. Coming to a consensus, Levy adjusted the illusions on their rings to add the guild marks onto their disguises.

"Great," Makarov said. "Now gather close. This mission will be dangerous, so I'm asking for ultimate teamwork. Laxus will be the leader of this mission. Do you all understand?"

They all nodded. Laxus was one with the most experience of the group after all. Lucy looked to the man. He was completely different from the one she saw last night. This one didn't hold a single shred of fear. Just pure determination.

"Whatever happens there," Laxus said. "We stick together and follow our orders. Our first priority is to gather intel, not to provoke any conflicts." His eyes glanced towards Gray and Natsu. "Understood?"

"Yes!" rang around the room.

Laxus grabbed the blank invitation. Anticipation grew inside Lucy. _This was it._

Makarov stepped back, watching them from the side of the table. "Good luck."

Laxus held the invitation as if he were holding the weight of the world in-between his fingers. He studied it one last time before opening it up. The invitation had a single date on the inside. And the moment it was opened, a timer appeared and started counting down from ten.

Lucy counted down with it.

 _Ten…nine…eight…_

 _...three…two…_

She held her breath.

 _One._

* * *

The smell of sea salt formed Natsu's first impression of where they landed. It tasted like a fresh punch of the sea. But it was odd; there wasn't a drop of water anywhere in sight. They had landed on what seemed to be a hill, if he could even use the word landed. The invitation turned out to be a portal, and it was rougher than expected. When the time came, they were all sucked in. His limbs felt as though they had been ripped apart, then subsequently reassembled. Whatever it was, it was powerful magic. Thankfully, they all landed in the same spot.

Gray groaned as he pushed himself up off the ground next to Natsu. "Where exactly are we?"

Natsu's eyes scanned the area, but all there was was the gravel path sparsely lined with dry bushes. It snaked up the hill. "No idea."

"Let's follow the path then," Lucy said, brushing dirt off her pants.

Erza helped Gray up before they all headed up the hill. It was clearly nighttime and wherever they were, it was quiet. When they reached the top, they noticed that the hill overlooked a massive valley basin, surrounded on all sides by other hills. The grass seemed unnaturally green.

"There's nothing here," Natsu frowned.

Laxus walked up to the pink-haired mage and snorted. "Someone needs to improve their senses."

"H-Hey!"

"There's some sort of barrier…no its something else," Wendy said, squinting her eyes as if it would help her figure it out.

"I can't tell what it is either," Mira said shaking her head. She frowned, looking concerned.

Natsu didn't understand what they were talking about. All he saw was an empty field. Wait. If he focused, he could see something down in the valley flicker, like a barrier. His curiosity had been perked. "Let's just head down and find out!"

"W-Wait!" Erza shouted, but Natsu was already running down the hill. The rest of the jogged down to keep up. The only light that illuminated their path came from the stars overhead. Crickets sounded in the grass, but other than that, there was no sound. They slowed their jog when the gravel path suddenly shimmered into stone steps. Natsu stopped, confused and on guard. The rest of his surroundings also started to morph.

Silence gave way to an orchestra of sound: music, cheering and laughter. Natsu's sensitive ears were unable to process it all for a moment. His nose was bombarded with the smell of butter, sugar and alcohol, causing his stomach to growl at the thought of food. Even the light from the stars melted away, overshadowed by bright paper lanterns that changed colour every few seconds.

The valley was completely different now. The stairs flattened out into a stone path lined with various stands, selling food, games and – to his displeasure – illegal goods. The entire place was filled with people of all kinds, though Natsu knew that they were all dark mages. He could just tell.

"It's a black market," Laxus mumbled. His eyes scanned the valley and his jaw tightened.

"Careful," Mira warned, still wary of the barrier now around them. "Whoever is casting this is strong. I still can't tell how it works."

"Is this real?" Gray asked. He picked up a stray lantern from the ground. "It _feels_ real."

Natsu looked to Lucy to see what she thought, but she was just as confused and mesmerized as the rest of them were. Her eyes darted left and right, widening as if she recognized the people around them.

"I don't like this," Gajeel grumbled. His look of distrust and displeasure wasn't lost on Natsu.

"Really," Lucy said, with the slight curl of her lip. "Thought you'd fit right in."

"H-Hey!"

"G-Gajeel is not a bad man!" Juvia argued, but Lucy was already walking ahead. She stopped when a small group passed by them. They wore rugged clothing, all with one sleeve removed revealing a tattoo on their shoulder. A purple eye. The group stared at her for a tense minute, but then snickered and bounded up a long set of steps that led towards a large, black tent. Resting just above the entrance was a single flag with a painted symbol.

Natsu recognized that symbol. _Tartaros_. He shoved through the crowd to get to Lucy who stood at the bottom of the steps like a stiff board, staring at the black tent. He grabbed hold of her arm. "Hey Lucy, are you alright?" He shook her a little when she didn't respond. "Lucy?"

Her eyes refocused after landing on his. "Natsu?"

"Hey, its fine, the rings worked," he reassured. "They didn't recognize us."

Lucy let out a large breath, her shoulders relaxing. "R-Right."

Turned out Lucy was a little more nervous than Natsu thought. He pointed back behind him. "Hey, come on, the others went that way, let's catch up."

Lucy nodded and followed him absentmindedly, but every few seconds she would look back at that tent. And each time she did, the cloud in her eyes grew darker. Whether it was in fear or anger Natsu couldn't tell.

"Don't worry, Lucy," Natsu mumbled underneath his breath as they brushed by another group. "I won't let them take you."

They caught up with the others next to stone fountain in the middle of the grounds. Natsu barely noticed it, but the number of people in the area seemed to have thinned. He wondered where they went.

"There's more than one tent," Levy noted, pointing to one direction and then the opposite. It was hard to tell what was North and South in this place. "Three of them to be exact. One for each of the Baram Alliance. They're heavily guarded though. It'll be hard to get in."

Erza nodded. "We'll deal with that once we get there. For now, we should just gather information and find a way to relay that back to the Master."

"Kinda hard to do that when our entrance is gone," Laxus noted with a deep frown.

Natsu spun around and Laxus was right. The path they took to arrive was no longer there. In its place stood a large stone coliseum on the top of a hill. It was pure white and oval-shaped with massive pillars around its base. Wide, stone steps led up the hill, lined with trees.

"Dammit," Gray said. "How are we supposed to get out of here afterwards?"

"Doesn't matter," Laxus said. "For now, we need to focus-"

" _Welcome, welcome, welcome!"_

The voice seemed to come from the sky. Natsu looked up, but no one was there. Just lanterns dancing around in the air. Beside him, he swore he felt Lucy tense up.

" _Welcome to the fiftieth Tri-Baram Tournament!_ " The voice cackled: dark, wild and unhinged.

"Fiftieth?" Erza hissed. "There's been fifty of these operating under our noses the entire time?"

"Quiet," Laxus said. The dragon slayer was tense. And after a quick glance around, so did the rest of the people in the valley. The crowd had thinned into just a couple dozen.

" _As you all know, this year its Tartaros' turn to host. I wonder how much the tournament's worth? Gehehe. Unfortunately, there's a slight too many teams enrolled at the moment."_

A loud roar of enthusiasm arose from the people left in the grounds. Natsu chanced a glance and shivered. The people left congregated into their own guilds, eyes hungry and dark with excitement. Lucy had mentioned that this was a tournament, but judging by the looks in their eyes, he didn't think they'd play fair.

" _And so! We'll just need to weed out some teams. How about a little preliminary round? Gehe!"_

With the sound of a snap, one member of each group now had a necklace around their neck with a large, gaudy pendant hanging from the middle. Natsu snapped towards Wendy when he heard her small gasp. A necklace had materialized around her neck as well, and it glowed red.

" _The first four teams to place their pendants in the torch at the base of the Coliseum will secure their place in tomorrow's round!"_

Natsu turned towards the Coliseum. There, at the top of the steps was the base of a torch, unlit.

" _What are you all waiting for? The games start…now."_

There was a split second of silence before the grounds broke into chaos. Hoards of people began to run towards the Coliseum.

"So, it's a race," Natsu said, masking his nervousness with a grin. "That's not too bad."

"It can't be that simple," Mira replied. There was a small sense of foreboding in her voice. She turned to Wendy. "Wendy give me the necklace. It's too dangerous."

Wendy nodded and attempted to pull it off her neck, but it refused to budge. "I-It won't come off," she said with slight horror.

Laxus frowned, slight worry in his eyes. "We can't stay here like this. We need to head out."

"Then let's go," Gajeel urged. "We're already behind!"

They raced ahead. Gajeel was right, they were behind. Natsu glanced up from the bottom of the stone steps watching as the action unfolded in front of his eyes like a poorly directed movie. His eyes didn't know where to look amongst the mass of mages. But then a screen floated down from the sky, broadcasting what Natsu assumed to be the first place team. Their team was made of six with an black eagle as their sigil. As expected, one of their members carried a pendant, but to Natsu's confusion, it was coloured black.

Shaking off the growing anxiety in his gut, Natsu started up the steps. He wasn't surprised to find other teams already engaged in fighting. Any way to slow a team down, he supposed. They attempted their best to avoid any conflict, even though Natsu did want to throw in a flaming punch or two, and continued up the stairs.

"L-Look!" Juvia pointed towards the screen.

"Damn, they're already at the top!" Gray shouted.

The black eagles had already made it to the platform in front of the Coliseum. With triumphant looks on their faces they lifted their black pendant and dropped it into the torch.

It exploded.

Natsu stopped dead in his tracks, along with everyone else. Their eyes were glued to the screen as they watched the flames burst from the torch, engulfing the entire team. He heard their tortured screams even all the way from down the steps.

Mira had two trembling hands over her mouth in shock.

The voice from the sky returned. _"Oops. Did I forget to mention? Only those with red pendants are worthy of the Coliseum fire. Don't have one? Well, better get looking. I wonder how much their lives were worth…gehe."_

"H-How could they?" Mira said, tears welling from her eyes.

"Snap out of it," Laxus said, though his voice a little rough. He was obviously affected as well. "As harsh as this is going to sound, now isn't the time. We need to move. Or we'll die."

Chaos erupted. Blasts of magic came from everywhere, raising dirt and dust, aiming for those who owned the red pendants. A team with the sigil of wolves raised their claws and slashed through a team of serpents. Blood splattered across the stone steps. The leader of the wolves ripped the red pendant off the dead serpent and grinned. But he only made it two steps up before he stumbled, choking back blood. With wide eyes, he glanced down at the arrow now protruding through his chest. A woman, with a metal bow strapped to her back and the sigil of an eye on her shoulder, stole the pendant from the wolf's dying hands before sprouting wings and flying to the sky. She soared above the madness and dived towards the torch. She dropped the pendant into the fire and flames surged into the air, but this time, the woman remained unharmed.

The flames circled into the sky and formed into a purple eye.

"And the first to be invited to the next round is…Succubus Eye!"

Natsu trembled, his knees weakening. "W-What is happening…" There was blood everywhere. People killed without blinking an eye. A body dropped next to him, and he couldn't help but cry out. This couldn't be happening. People weren't aiming to disable, they were aiming to kill.

He jumped when he felt a hand on his arm.

"We need to keep moving," Lucy urged, with sympathy in her eyes. Or was it pity? Either way, it both bothered and amazed Natsu that she seemed unfazed by all this violence. "Just…stay with me." Cerberus was already by her side, tearing away anyone who attempted to get close to them. It made Natsu flinch, but right now, survival was driving his instincts.

The other teams began to make their moves, their eyes closing in on the remaining red pendants.

"Everyone!" Erza shouted. "Protect Wendy!" All of them surrounded the sky dragon slayer as they scrambled up the stairs. Her glowing red pendant called out like a beacon to the other dark mages. A masked man ran up to Erza with a flaming sword in his hand. Erza quickly drew her own sword from her back and countered with a grunt.

Laxus took that slight pause to send a shock to that man's system. His entire body locked up, giving Erza the chance to knock him over and down the stairs.

"Thanks," Erza said with a small smile.

Laxus nodded.

Mira ran next to them, one hand holding Wendy's while the other was held up in defense.

"I want to help," Wendy shouted. She stayed within the circle they created, but her face was scrunched in frustration.

"That'll only draw more attention to yourself," Gray said with understanding in his eyes. He came from the rear, making sure other mages couldn't follow by making the steps turn to ice.

"Juvia understands that Wendy is frustrated, but this is the best way," Juvia said as she knocked back a few more mages with her water slicer.

Wendy frowned but she obeyed.

Laxus continued to push forward, leading their group. He sent a shockwave forward, paralyzing the team in front of them. Natsu turned to his left, and at that moment, he caught a blast of poison heading straight for him. He froze. Just as the poison was about to hit him, he felt a huge gust of wind disperse the blast. Lucy pushed his head down, with Valea hovering over them, her wings generating the wind.

"Everyone hold their breaths!" Levy shouted. She generated masks over all their mouths as extra protection using her Solid Script and they pushed on.

Amidst the shock running through Natsu's mind, he felt Lucy grab his hand. It was all he could concentrate on as they continued to make their way upstairs. His vision seemed to only zone in on what was directly around him. One step after another. He could do this. _Mavis._ Why was he so scared?

As they slowly headed up the steps, fighting back teams, watching others get slaughtered, Natsu heard the voice in the sky announcing two more teams having passed. They were running out of time. But they were so close, just steps away from reaching the top of the steps.

The moment they reached the top, the pendant loosened around Wendy's neck. She quickly handed it over to Natsu, who was closest to her.

"Go," Gajeel grunted as he swept away another attacker. The rest of them stayed at the top of the steps, fending off waves of enemies who tried to push through.

Natsu nodded and ran to the torch. The flames danced along his skin when he reached the edge. Lifting the pendant into the air-

"No-Wait!"

-Natsu let go.

He heard Lucy's voice. "Natsu!"

His last thought, as he noticed the colour of the pendant dropping slowly into the torch, was: _Shit._

* * *

Dread filled Lucy's stomach as she watched the pendant suddenly change colour from red to black. She thought her heart had stopped when the black pendant dropped from Natsu's hand. She scrambled up the stairs, but it was too late.

"Natsu!"

The flames burst from the torch again, spreading out in a wide explosion. Lucy's legs were frozen to the ground even though her mind was screaming at her to move. All she felt next was a warm body tackling her to the ground before a wave of heat passed by overhead.

The ground shook and Lucy's ears rang.

Lucy struggled to get up, but a pair of arms kept her immobile.

"Stay still," she heard a voice growl next to her ear. _Laxus._ "Just watch."

Lucy forced her heart to calm, while her eyes stayed pinned on the torch podium. Once the explosion died down, the dust began to settle.

And there, perfectly intact with a belly full of flames, was Natsu.

Lucy released the breath she had been holding, a smile unconsciously spreading across her face. "Natsu…" Laxus' arms loosened and she scrambled to her feet, running up the stairs.

Natsu waved at her with a wide grin on his face. "Yo!"

"Y-You're okay," Lucy said, waving away a bit of the smoke from her face.

Natsu coughed a bit. "Hey, I'm not made of fire for no reason you know."

Lucy laughed with relief. "You're crazy." The tightness in her heart relaxed. They turned back to the rest of their team who shook their heads with glad smiles on their faces.

"But what now?" Wendy asked. "There should be one left."

" _Right you are!"_ The voice was back. _"I'm so sorry for that little mix-up back there. My apologies. Can't bore our audience, can we? There's one ticket left. I wonder where it is. It won't stay where it is for long though."_

Lucy scanned the grounds. Two flights down, a woman with dark-blue hair now had her pendant burn red. She moved to head down the steps, but just a slight second later, the woman was coughing out blood. But the moment someone reached out to grab her pendant, it also turned black. There was a roar of frustration coming up the steps as the search was on again.

As the attention was off of them, they had more time to look.

"There!" Juvia shouted. "One flight down." There was a red pendant amidst the madness.

Lucy moved towards it, but Natsu grabbed her arm.

"He's a just a boy," Natsu hissed.

"I'm not blind. But we have to do this." The wild determination was back in her eyes. She threw off Natsu's grasp and ran down towards the boy.

* * *

Natsu watched as Lucy weaved through the masses, his thoughts returning to what she had told him before. _This isn't a game._ She meant it, and Natsu realized that for once, Lucy might not be that different from the rest of the people here. Ruthless.

That thought scared him to his core.

 _No, I can't let her do this._ Natsu burst through the crowd, throwing punches left and right as he ran down the steps after Lucy. He dodged bodies and hopped over pools of blood. _There's got to be another way._ He's stopped her from killing before. He had to do it again. If not, he'll really lose Lucy.

The boy was alone. Natsu didn't know where the rest of this boy's team was, but as of right now, no one else has noticed that he held the last pendant. Lucy had managed to slip right behind the boy, hoping to attack his blindside and Natsu was coming up from the front. He wanted to get to him before Lucy did, but it was Natsu the boy noticed first. When the boy raised his hands, the hairs on the back of his neck raised.

Excruciating pain flooded his brain. Natsu collapsed to the ground, hands held to his head. He heard cries of pain, but he wasn't sure if it belonged to himself or someone else. _Lucy!_ He underestimated the boy. He was strong. A telepath.

Natsu bit his own tongue to distract himself from the pain in his head. With all the force he could muster, he raised himself onto his elbows and reached an arm forward, hand towards the boy. The flames grew instinctually in his chest, craving to be released in order to end the pain pounding against his head. _Self-preservation._ That's what he was operating on. He _had_ to do this. Guilt clawed away at his stomach, but Natsu ignored it. The fire boiled, to a peak, gathering in his hand and threatening to burst.

He was about to release the flames when the pain stopped.

It receded quickly like an angry tide. Natsu's confusion was instantly banished by the image of a dagger, bloody and dripping, protruding from the child's chest. The boy coughed and gargled, choking on his own blood. Natsu's ringing ears still picked up the slick sound of the blade withdrawing before the body fell forward with a heavy thud, revealing Lucy on her knees, one hand grasping her head and the other holding her dagger. She looked at him with empty, hollow eyes.

Waves of residual pain pounded his head, but Natsu was now able to stand. He limped himself towards the boy. Natsu squeezed his eyes shut when he saw the body's stiff body on the ground. _He was just a boy…_

Unable to hold down his own disgust , Natsu ran off to the side of the steps and vomited into the bushes. He felt a cold hand on his shoulder and turned to find Gray looking over him with sympathy. Lucy crawled up the steps and plucked the glowing red pendant from the boy's chest. She stumbled to her feet and Natsu watched speechless as she walked past them and headed towards the torch.

* * *

Everyone Lucy passed by was still on the ground, writhing either in pain from the telepath or simply dead. She willed her legs to move forward, used to pain like this. This had nothing on what Kyoka could dish out.

After two grueling minutes, she was standing next to the torch, holding the pendant over the simmering flame. The jewel still pulsed red, as if knowing that the rest of the mages had given up. She was about to drop the pendant when she gasped, terror shooting up her spine. She backed up a step, heart pounding. The torch was supposed to reveal the guild association of the one who dropped the pendant.

So why is that Lucy saw not S _priggan_ – whose mark is emblazoned proudly below her collar, nor _Fairy Tail_ – whose mark she now bore hidden on her chest?

But instead, she saw _Tartaros._

The image of the guild mark flickered in the flames for just a split second before disappearing. The jewel slipped from her hand and Lucy held her breath.

Flames surged into the sky.

Lucy looked to the heavens and thanked the gods when the fire morphed into shape. Two horns connected to the head of a hunched figure with torn wings and a horned tail.

 _Spriggan_.

Whatever was in those illusion rings did their magic, for which Lucy was eternally grateful. She turned to her teammates with a tired smile, collapsing to her knees.

* * *

It didn't take long for the voice to return in the sky. It was one Lucy was familiar with: Franmalth.

" _Oh! All those lives. I wonder how much they were worth! But now that we have our teams, let's do some clean-up, shall we?"_

The ground started to shake. Lucy fell to the ground, laying low, unsure of what would happen next. After a few long seconds, the rumbling ceased. Feeling stable, Lucy sat up and looked around.

The bodies of the people who lost were gone.

She scrambled to the steps and looked down, grateful to still see the others.

"Where did they all go?" Levy asked. She was off to the side of the steps, next to Gajeel. The two of them started to make their way up the stairs while the others followed.

"Removed, I assume," Erza replied. She headed up the stairs with the others. "They must have not made the cut, and were removed."

Lucy watched as Mira walked over to Natsu to help him up. The take-over mage held onto him tighter when he stumbled up the stairs. "Careful, you took the brunt of the boy's magic." Lucy glanced over to where the boy would've been and sighed.

She felt a soft hand on her arm. "It's not your fault," Levy said to her. "You did what you had to." Lucy could see slight fear in Levy's eyes, but the mage was taking it much better than she thought she would.

But the thing was, Lucy felt no remorse. During that moment, she was certain that Lucille was taking the reigns. And as Levy had said, she did what she had to. At no matter the cost.

As soon as their team was gathered at the top of the steps, the ground started to shake once again. But this time, they were the ones being transported. The world twisted and spun in front of Lucy's eyes and when it stopped, the newly branded Spriggans found themselves in the living room of an inn suite.

"What the hell…" Laxus grumbled. He walked around, examining the room. The area was relatively large. There was a large wall on the far side, made of floor-to-ceiling glass. From this window, one could see the black market that seemed to have reappeared below them. To the left and right of this wall were their rooms, five on each side, exactly enough to fit all of them. On the remaining side was a small kitchen, stocked to the brim with food. Despite knowing that, all Natsu did was sit down on the couch, seemingly in a daze.

"Look," Wendy said. She walked up to the glass coffee table in the middle of the suite. Resting on the table was a black and white tented card. It carried the same symbol as their original invitation. She picked up the card and held it out for everyone to see.

~Congratulations~

Spriggan | Unaligned

1st Competition

Grand Coliseum

09:00:00

Erza's expression was grim after she saw the card. She turned to Laxus. "What exactly are we doing, Laxus? I thought our plan was only to observe. And now we're participating in this horror?"

Laxus sighed, running a hand through his hair. "What other choice do we have now?"

"Look at all of us," Erza argued. Everyone was covered in dirt and blood with clear exhaustion written across their faces. "Do we look like we're capable of continuing?"

"We all knew what we were signing up for, Erza. It's time to own our decisions. You of all people should know that missions never go the way we plan to."

Mira intervened before a fight could start. "Laxus is right, Erza. There is nothing else we can do. For now, let's focus on getting through this." She glanced around at all of them. "We should get some rest. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow."

Lucy took stock of all the members. Juvia and Gray looked a little shaken up, but they seemed to be holding it together. Erza was still a little angry, but she seemed to see reason. Wendy was quieter than usual and when the group agreed to the plan, she followed Mira to her room, unable to sleep on her own. Levy was lost in thought, but she too walked herself into one of the bedrooms, mumbling to herself about needing to write everything down.

The only ones who appeared unfazed were Gajeel and Laxus.

As for Natsu, he looked like a complete ghost. He stood from the couch slowly after everyone else had left and trailed his feet into one of the empty bedrooms, closing the door slowly behind him.

Lucy sighed. Natsu was the one she was worried about the most. So, after taking a shower in her own bedroom, she found herself standing in front of his door. She knocked twice, but there was no response. Testing out his door knob, she was surprised to find it unlocked. She opened the door slowly and closed it behind her. She found Natsu sitting on the edge of his bed, staring into his open palms. The lights in the room were turned off, so the only illumination came from the glass window on the wall in front of his bed. The pale light of the moon only served to make Natsu look even more ghostly.

"Natsu?" Lucy called out to him. When he didn't respond, she moved to stand in front of him. Seeing as the blood was gone from his skin, he must have taken a shower. The bags under his eyes betrayed his exhaustion. "Natsu, you should get some rest. You look terrib-" She froze when Natsu lurched towards her, pulling her into a tight embrace, his head resting against her chest. His body started to tremble and Lucy thought she felt tears soaking into her shirt. Looking down with a frown, Lucy moved to wrap her arms around him, and one hand moved to slowly pet against his hair.

When Natsu's silent sobs calmed, he looked up to her. "W-Why?" he asked faintly. "Why did you kill him for me?"

She gazed down at him, her eyes heavy. "It would've destroyed you to kill him," she whispered. She had seen this coming and it was what made her drive her blade through the boy's chest earlier this evening. Because if it had been Natsu, she knew he would never be the same. Not that he would be, regardless, after all of this. "I'm sorry Natsu, I promised you I wouldn't."

"I-I'm scared, Lucy," Natsu said, his voice trembling. "Not of the people, but of what I might have to do to them."

"I know," Lucy said. She knew she should've said more, but nothing she could say would soothe Natsu's soul. She could have told him that it gets easier, or he'll get used to it, but she knew hearing that would only make him more upset. So she chose to stand there and support him silently.

For a while, Lucy let him rest against her, but after noticing his weakening grasp and slowing breathing rate, she knew he needed to sleep. She pulled back from his arms. "You should rest. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." She moved to leave, but Natsu caught her wrist.

Natsu's head was down, but he whispered softly. "S-Stay. Please."

Lucy was taken aback by Natsu's request, but surprisingly, she complied. After Natsu settled himself underneath the sheets, she joined him, feeling the familiar warmth of his body. He curled up against her and she brushed her hands through his hair softly until he fell asleep.

It wasn't long afterwards that Lucy joined him.

* * *

 _ **A/N: It took a while for me to figure out how I wanted to do this. Sorry it took so long. I'm still working out what the main events should be (asks myself what dark mages would find entertaining). I have a few thoughts, but if anyone has any sinister ideas, they'll be taken with open arms. If you're still reading this, thanks for sticking with me for so long.**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	23. Search and Destroy

**Chapter 23**

" _Welcome, welcome, welcome!"_

The entire Spriggan team stiffened in tense anticipation as the now familiar voice blared into the stadium through giant lacrima speakers. The arena was packed and the crowd roared and cheered with enthusiasm. They themselves remained completely silent, hearts heavy from the night before and minds afraid for the horrors to come.

The coliseum could be clearly split into four groups of spectators. Three of four sections were designated for the three guilds of the Baram Alliance: Oracion Seis, Grimoire Heart and Tartaros. Their banners were proudly presented above their sections, but Lucy quickly noticed that the actual guild members of the Baram Alliance weren't present. Instead their aligned guilds were seated within their relative sections, showing off their smaller banners within their own area.

The last section was designated for unaligned guilds. This was where the nervous members of team Spriggan currently waited. As competitors, they had a separate booth to themselves, similar to the other three teams in the tournament.

" _Welcome to the official start of the Fiftieth Baram Tournament! Tehe. Congratulations to those who suriv-eh hem- who passed the preliminary rounds."_

The rest of the Spriggan team listened with somber dispositions, all of them sporting dark circles and bags under their eyes. It was clear that none of them had a clear night's sleep after the events of the day prior. None of them were prepared for the events of the day. Though, 'day' wasn't quite the word for it. Despite the clocks displaying a time of 9am, the skies were dark, stuck in a perpetual night. The only semblance of moving time was the strange moon cycle: full during the mornings and new during the night. Right now, the moon casted a cold, blueish tinge over the coliseum.

" _To start off, let's introduce our four teams in order of their finish in last nights preliminary rounds. In fourth place, oh, we have a completely new team."_ A spotlight beamed towards them and Lucy had to turn away for a moment. _"Never before heard of and ruthlessly taking down their opponents in last night's preliminary, we have…Spriggan!"_

Mild murmurs spread through the crowd and curious eyes turned towards them. People within their unaligned section threw them jealous glares. It was obvious that some of these groups had been vying for their spot for quite some time.

" _Next! Aligned under Oracion Seis and overtaking last tournament's Naked Mummy, we have Eisenwald!"_

Spectators within Oracion Seis' banner cheered ferociously as the spotlight turned towards the competitor's box for Eisenwald. Lucy counted a total of twenty members, many of which she had never seen before.

" _In second place, aligned under Grimoire Heart, having come in second place in last year's tournament, we have Death's Head Caucus!"_

As expected, those under the Grimoire Heart banner bellowed their support as the spotlight turned towards Death Head Caucus. Five members, Lucy counted.

" _Finally, the guild you've all been waiting for."_ The entire stadium was on edge. _"In first place and winner of last year's tournament, aligned with the wonderful guild of Tartaros, tehe, we have Succubus Eye!"_

The entire arena exploded into cheers as the members of Succubus Eye took to their competitor's box. Lucy inhaled sharply. They only had three members. One of them was a large, imposing and muscular man, while the second Lucy recognized as the woman with the metal bow from the night before. Their last member was a lean man with wild blue hair and an equally wild grin on his face.

Once the arena settled down, the voice returned. _"Now, it's time to explain the rules."_ There were plenty of chuckles and laughs from the crowd. To be honest, Lucy was surprised there were even rules at all.

In a flicker of light, a giant parchment materalized in the center of the coliseum, detailing the outline of the competition in large black ink:

 **RULES**

Each guild's competitor is worth one point

The competitor loses their point upon incapacitation or death

Should an incapacitated member deem themselves capable of re-entry, a point will be re-awarded to the guild.

Should a team place first in any event, additional points are awarded to the team.

The guild with the most points after all competitions is deemed the champion

"Sounds simple enough," Gray said, after reading the rules.

"I wouldn't say that," Levy said. Worry was written all over her face.

"What do you mean?"

In that moment, the voice returned. _"And now, we will rearrange the placements of the teams based on our rules."_ The rules were wiped off the parchment and the names of each guild replaced them:

 **STANDINGS**

 **1st Place:** Eisenwald **Points:** 20

 **2nd Place:** Spriggan **Points:** 10

 **3rd Place:** Death's Head Caucus **Points:** 5

 **4th Place:** Succubus Eye **Points:** 3

"W-Wait!" Natsu exclaimed as he looked up at the standings. Lucy glanced over to the pink-haired mage beside her. She was glad that his complexion had lightened up from last night. He still bore some signs of exhaustion on his face, but his mentality managed to recover. It surprised Lucy how fast the man could bounce back from anything. "That doesn't seem fair. You could win as long as you bring more people."

"Not necessary," Erza said. "That tactic only makes sense if each of your members are capable of holding their own in combat. It makes no difference how many members you have if they are only going to be incapacitated in battle."

"Oh…"

Lucy noticed a troubled look on Levy's face. It appeared that she wasn't the only one who noted the underlying issue with this tournament. And it seemed neither of them were ready to voice it out loud.

Franmalth's voice returned to announce the first competition. _"This year's tournament will feature four events, one on each day. Our first competition of this tournament, sponsored by Oracion Seis, is Search and Destroy!"_ There were a few murmurs amongst the crowd, predictions of what the event will be. _"Teams will now get to the choose the number of participants to send out, but the details of the event won't be revealed until the number of participants are selected."_

A large number pad appeared in front of their team. Almost immediately they all looked to Laxus, who had been silent for most of the morning.

"Four events, one on each day," he murmured to himself. "To be safe we shouldn't send out our entire team." He moved towards the keypad, pressing down the number three. A confirmation message popped up in front of them, asking them if they were sure. Laxus looked to all of them. Slowly, each of them nodded their approval and Laxus confirmed their selection. The keypad then shimmered out of view.

Once the other guilds had made their selections, the rules of the game were presented on the giant parchment in the middle of the arena:

 **SEARCH AND DESTROY**

Each team is presented with one bomb to protect.

If a team's bomb is detonated, the team can no longer participate and remaining participants will be removed from the game

If all team members are incapacitated, the team can no longer participate.

The game will end when only one team remains.

Points awarded to champion team: 2

"Alright, this makes sense," Gray said. "So, who's going?"

It turned out they had no choice. The rules shimmered away from the parchment and three of their members cried out in shock. Lucy spun around to find Erza, Wendy and Juvia missing from their booth. The rest of them looked to each other in a panic before running to the railing.

There they were, the three of them, standing in the middle of the arena with the rest of the contestants.

The names of the participants appeared on the parchment. From Eizenwald, there were a whopping fifteen members on the arena floor. Death's Head Caucus had only two members: Ikaruga and Fukuro, and Succubus Eye surprised them the most, bringing out only one member: Doriate.

"This can't be happening," Mira said, worried. "Wendy…"

"D-Don't worry," Levy said, though it was tough not to notice the tremble in her voice. "Erza and Juvia will protect her."

 _"I'd like to welcome the competitors in our first game! Tehee. Fifteen members from Eizenwald. Impressive. I wonder how much those lives are worth…"_

The stadium rumbled with fervor. The crowd watched in awe and excitement as the terrain of the arena started to change. Old, beaten-up buildings rose up from the floor until the entire arena transformed into an abandoned city. Almost all the contestants were now hidden from view.

The stage was set.

 _"Competitors are in place and bombs have been laid. I wonder who will come out on top?!"_

A large horn sounded from the lacrima speakers.

 _"Baram Tournament Event One: Start!"_

Lucy glanced down at the stadium floor, her eyes searching from her three guild members but finding none of them. A bad feeling settled in her stomach and for once she was starting to worry…

* * *

Down on the arena floor, the only person remotely calm was Erza. The three of them were currently hidden within a large empty warehouse and smack in the middle of the space was one large bomb. She knew they had precious little time to waste, and needed to come up with a battle plan.

"Wendy, Juvia."

"Y-Yes," the two of them answered. It was clear to Erza that the two were frightened.

Erza walked up to the two of them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "We are in this together, alright? Have faith in our abilities and we will come out on top."

"Yes!" The two of them shouted, feeling slightly more confident.

"Good," Erza said. "Now, we have no idea where our enemies are. From the quick glance we got just before the stadium changed, there appears to be eighteen mages on the floor, not including us. We don't know what tactics the others will use, but it is clear that if we are to stop them from attacking, we need to detonate our enemies' bombs."

Wendy and Juvia nodded.

"But what about our own?" Wendy asked, glancing nervously at the object behind her. Her voice echoed softly in the large warehouse.

"You and Juvia will stay here and guard the bomb. I will go and scout out the locations," Erza commanded.

"A-Alright."

"Ah," Wendy called out as Erza headed out. "Be careful!"

Erza nodded. "You two as well." She disappeared out of the warehouse, leaving the two mages on their own.

Wendy and Juvia turned back towards their bomb.

"Now what?" Wendy asked.

Juvia frowned. "Now, we wait."

* * *

"Where did they go!" Aggravation was clearly written on Gray's face. He leaned over the railing, his eyes darting left and right, searching the abandoned city in the stadium below. Lucy had a feeling he was looking for a certain water mage.

"Relax icicle," Natsu said, though it was clear he was just as worried. "Erza's out there. They'll be fine."

Gray calmed only a smidge. Lucy herself was studying the large playing field, but like the others, she couldn't locate any of her guild members. There were cameras and lacrima visions up over the stadium, but even they had failed to catch any movements yet.

Only minutes into the game, a loud explosion broke through the silence in the stadium. Smoke rose from the north. One of the buildings, an old hospital, had its top floor completely blown apart. When the dust settled, there was a man sitting casually on top of the debris, leaning back against an intact bomb. His eyes were closed as if he were sleeping.

"He's sending a signal," Mira said with a frown. She was standing off near the back of their booth, as if afraid to look too closely.

Laxus scoffed, his arms crossed in front of him. "He's arrogant, that's for sure."

"Reminds me of someone," Lucy joked, earning her a glare. But Mira was right. The man was broadcasting where he was. His message was clear: 'come get me.'

One of the men behind them in the stands laughed. "You don't know who that is? That's Doriate of Succubus Eye. Practically the one who won the games last year for the guild. No one would be dumb enough to go up against him!"

 _Interesting._ The man was right. After five minutes, there was still no movement amongst the other teams. No one came out to attack the lone competitor from Succubus Eye.

Next came commotion from the east. Ten members of Eisenwald ran out from what looked to be a rundown haunted house. They scattered into two teams of five. One team headed south and the other headed west. None of them ran towards Doriate in the north. They must be searching for the other two teams, one of them being Spriggan.

Lucy perked up when she noticed a small flash of red moving through one of the building windows in the west. It was gone in a moment, but it popped up again a few minutes later in an adjacent office building. She elbowed Laxus, and he raised a brow at her. She discretely nodded down towards the arena. "There."

His eyes followed and it took him a minute, but he managed to catch the next flash of red. His lips curled slightly. "Erza."

Lucy nodded, watching the woman head south-west. She didn't run out onto the streets like the members of Eisenwald did. No, she moved through covered alleyways, hoping to avoid all eyes. It was working.

Commotion to the south drew Lucy's eyes towards an abandoned aquarium. The cameras followed and soon enough, a battle was broadcast over the stadium. Five members of Eisenwald against the two members of Death's Head Caucus, who were guarding a bomb hidden inside an aquarium tank. The members of Eisenwald were completely unmemorable, but the female from Death's Head Caucus, Ikaruga, seemed powerful. A long katana rested against her hip and she stood with a confident smile in a long kimono. The other member was of the odd variety. Lucy didn't know what to think of the man who boasted an owl's head.

"They're going to fight," Natsu said, his eyes glued to the lacrima vision screen.

Gajeel scoffed, "What's the point? If they get incapacitated they'll just get up and try again at a later event."

"Exactly," Levy said with a heavy voice. "And because of that and taking into account the goal of the tournament-"

Down in the aquarium below, Ikaruga drew her blade.

"-the most secure way to win would be to-"

Ikaruga swung.

"Kill them," Lucy finished, her voice having gone cold. "And prevent them from coming back all together."

It was a massacre. Blood splattered against the walls of the aquarium and stained its waters red. Bodies rested in pools of the red liquid, dismembered, all cut clean with the blade of the sword. Even Lucy had to look away from the grotesque image for a moment, despite having seen similar images before.

Gray and Natsu had gone pale. Levy had covered her eyes, having anticipated the outcome and tears streamed down Mira's face. Gajeel and Laxus had similar reactions, grit teeth and fists clenched so tightly their knuckles turned white. Disgust radiated from all of them.

The crowd however, was eating it all up.

 _"Death Head's Caucus takes first blood!"_ The roar in the stadium was deafening. Lucy could tell they were craving it and Ikaruga delivered. _"I wonder what those lives were worth?"_

Lucy took a quick glance to Eisenwald's competitor's booth. There was a man that stood out from the five remaining members there. He had grey hair and tattoos below his eyes. His expression remained the same, despite witnessing the death of five of his members. _Apparently, those lives were worth nothing._

The scoreboard was updated with Eisenwald losing five points, bringing them down to fifteen.

After the attacking members of Eisenwald had drawn their last breaths, Ikaruga and Fukuro split up. Fukuro headed out of the aquarium turning east, most likely moving to take down the five Eisenwald members guarding their bomb. Ikaruga stayed behind, waiting patiently in front of the aquarium tank that housed their own bomb.

Team Spriggan turned their eyes towards the other five members of Eisenwald which were running out in the open, heading west. If Succubus Eye was to the north, Death's Head Caucus to the South and Eisenwald to the east, then the process of elimination left Spriggan to the west.

Lucy and Laxus shared worried glances when they remembered that the members guarding Spriggan's bomb would be none other than Juvia and Wendy.

Mira whispered quietly behind them. "Please be safe…"

* * *

The air inside the abandoned warehouse was cold and stale. Juvia paced along the concrete floor, nervous, scanning the entrances to the warehouse every five seconds. She looked up to the windows, twenty-feet up in the air, and was still unnerved by the perpetual night they were stuck in. Erza had left for more than half an hour already, and to their luck, nothing had happened yet. To them at least. They had heard the explosions and the commotion and it only made them more nervous.

The moment Juvia heard footsteps approaching the warehouse, she forced her spirit to calm. She looked to Wendy. The sky dragon slayer was standing protectively over their bomb. She gave a nod back to Juvia. Juvia released her breath and her eyes darkened, channeling her Phantom Lord self.

 _Bring it on._

The main entrance to the warehouse slammed open and three mages poured in. Juvia counted backwards in her mind, waiting. _Three, two, one._

Columns of water blasted upwards from the ground like erupting geysers. A chorus of screams filled the air as two of the mages were caught up in the trap Juvia had set. They were slammed up into the ceiling before being encased in an orb of water. _Water Lock._ The two mages struggled to breathe inside, but failed to find air. Juvia knew they would fall unconscious soon. _Two down._ She had no time to feel sorry for the mages as the remaining one was running straight for her.

"Water Slicer!"

The arc of water blasted towards the mage knocking him backwards. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to render him unconscious.

There was another loud slam and Juvia whipped around to find the back entrance of the warehouse knocked open. She cursed to herself. She couldn't protect both entrances at once. "Wendy!"

"Got it!" Wendy shouted back. She quickly ran around the bomb, positioning herself between the object and the mages that were running in from the back entrance.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

The blast of wind sent the mages flying backwards, slamming into the walls of the warehouse. She was about to attack again when a high-pitched scream brought her to her knees. The windows of the warehouse shattered instantly, sending shards of glass falling to the floor.

Juvia had expected the man she was facing to run towards her again, but he stood still. The man had opened his mouth to scream and pain immediately pierced through Juvia's brain. She gripped her hands to her ears. _A banshee?!_

Everyone was held at a standstill. Juvia and Wendy were unable to move and the banshee couldn't either while it was still screaming. Juvia had to do something. She lifted her hands away from her ears. Sheer pain ripped through her eardrums, but she bit her lip and endured it. Using her hands, she generated a barrier of water in front of her, shaped like an arrowhead. She prayed that the water would refract enough of the sound waves to lessen the blow. It worked. Using that free moment, Juvia pulled one last attack.

"Water Nebula!"

The water helix charged around her barrier and straight for the banshee. Unable to move, the man took the hit directly, sending him flying into the walls. The screams stopped just as he slid to the ground, incapacitated.

Juvia fell to her knees, her hands grasping her head. A loud ring echoed inside her head, refusing to leave. _It hurts._ She couldn't hear a thing. A few minutes later, Wendy came running over to her.

The girl's mouth moved, but Juvia couldn't make out what she was saying. Concern was written all over her face. Wendy's hands moved to her ears and she felt a warm, soothing sensation wash over her. The ringing started to subside.

The pain soon disappeared.

Wendy sat back, breathing heavily. "Are you okay?"

Juvia could hear again. "Y-Yes, Juvia thinks so." She craned her neck around. "What about the other two?"

"I took care of them, don't worry," Wendy said with a tired smile.

"Great. Juvia hopes Erza is doing alright…"

* * *

Lucy had a feeling Gray didn't take a single breath while he watched Juvia's fight on the screen. Her own ears were still ringing from the sound that burst out into the stadium. She could only imagine what it would've been like inside the warehouse.

Relief was painted over the rest of their faces, but she knew it would be short-lived. The crowd, on the other hand, was only getting more excited by the minute.

 _"And yet another five members of Eisenwald incapacitated!"_ Franmalth announced over the speakers. _"Not looking to good for the Oracion Seis representatives. Tehe!"_ The scoreboard changed yet again, bringing Eisenwald's points down to ten.

"They're okay," Mira sighed in relief. She had been gripping onto Natsu's arm the entire time, her nails digging into the poor fire mage's skin.

 _For now_. Lucy thought. She had a feeling it wasn't over yet. The same couldn't be said for Eisenwald. Her eyes drifted back towards the screen. Death Head Caucus' Fukuro had just infiltrated the broken-down haunted house to the east where the rest of Eisenwald was hiding. It wasn't even a fight. It took only a few rocket launchers to decimate the remaining members.

Lucy couldn't even tell who was who in the sea of flesh after the dust settled. It was sickening, even by her standards.

"Oh," was all that left Mira's lips. Gajeel had pressed Levy into his chest just so she wouldn't see the bloody scene. The poor girl was sobbing into his shirt.

Lucy walked over and whispered into Levy's ear. "I know its tough, but we need to stay calm."

"Calm?!" Gray exclaimed.

Lucy glared at him and hissed. "We're starting to attract unwanted attention." The spectators around them were casting odd looks in their direction, confused by their behaviour. They weren't acting like a true dark guild should. They shouldn't be showing emotions like this. "Remember who we are."

Gray winced, but he nodded stiffly. Levy also pulled herself back from Gajeel, managing to compose herself. They knew she was right. They knew things would turn out much worse if they were outed as a registered guild.

But despite knowing all that, Lucy found herself trying to drag Natsu away from the railing. The man was turning green.

He shook off her hand. "No, I need to see this." His voice was barely a whisper and his breaths came out like shudders.

"No, you don't," Lucy insisted, but he didn't listen.

Mira then reminded them of something else important. "Where's Erza?"

All eyes shifted towards the lacrima vision, but no one could figure out where their red-haired friend was.

* * *

Erza found solace in the deafening silence that blanked the arena after the latest fight. The crowd seemed to have calmed down, watching the competition with earnest. The red-haired mage had no idea what was happening out there and she didn't need to know. All her focus was geared towards finding her next target.

Once leaving Juvia and Wendy, it didn't take her long to realize she was near the west end of the arena. Taking to the shadows and weaving in and out of buildings, Erza avoided the view of both the crowd and the cameras. She didn't need her location given away.

Right now, she found herself in a small apartment complex near the south. She had heard the commotion here and figured she would check out this end first. Her eyes narrowed in on the abandoned aquarium just across the street. She had seen a man exit out of the aquarium not too long ago. If what she supposed was right, then there would only be one member of Death's Head Caucus waiting for her when she moved inside.

Erza took a deep breath. _Let's do this._ She snuck through the back alleys and underneath the coverings of nearby buildings until she made her way into the aquarium. It was dark and quiet, with only the sound of dripping water and her own soft footsteps to accompany her. Grasping her sword in her hand, she walked past two exhibits, the glow from the lights inside the tanks casting an eerie shadow over everything else.

Out of the corner of her eye, Erza caught a camera following her. _There goes my cover._ No matter. That meant her hunch was right: someone was here.

She didn't notice the flash of pink passing by on the other side of one of the tanks.

Erza soon found herself on a long, metal walkway. Glass circled around her like a long, underwater tunnel. Had it been actually filled with fish and plants, Erza would have found it mesmerizing. Instead, the water was blood-stained and she swore she saw body parts floating in there. Disgust creeped its way up her spine, but Erza forced herself to focus.

She stopped when a figure appeared at the end of the walkway. A woman with long pink hair with a matching pink bow. She wore a loose, white kimono and an arrogant smile. Flower petals surrounded her like an aura. Her feet echoed against the metal floor as she walked towards her.

"I am called Ikaruga. Greetings. To challenge me on your own is quite…foolish."

Erza scoffed, pulling herself into a fighting stance. "Whether its one or a hundred, I'll take them on all the same."

"Your confident, I like that." Her eyes landed upon Erza's sword. "Ah, you also wield a sword. How refreshing." She unsheathed her katana. "Perhaps you will entertain me a little more than the others did." She gestured towards the glass around them, specifically to the human remains floating in the water.

Anger spiked in Erza. The level of disregard the woman had for the human life was despicable. She ran forward, sword in hand. "I will do more than that!" She paused in shock when she felt a small chink in her armour. A second later, her armour shattered.

"Oh? Don't tell me…you didn't see me move?" Ikaruga said with a raise brow.

 _That speed!_ Understanding the strength of her enemy, Erza requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armour.

"Blumenblatt!"

Several dozen swords flew towards her opponent at breakneck speeds. But with a few swings of her katana, Ikaruga destroyed them all.

Erza took a step back, gritting her teeth. A split second later, Ikaruga was right in front of her. Erza barely had the time to lift her sword to block. She grunted from the impact of their blades. Pushing her back, Erza made a swing for Ikaruga's legs but the woman jumped, dodging the attack gracefully.

The woman landed a few feet away. Erza moved to follow, but pain suddenly shot through her arms. Her arm guards shattered, having been hit by one of Ikaruga's swings. Pushing back the pain, Erza attacked again, exchanging blow after blow with her opponent. She knew she couldn't afford to slip up here.

Her opponent was fighting not to win, but to kill.

She had to stay strong.

* * *

Juvia had mostly recovered in the past half an hour of tense peace. There was still a small ring in her ear, but it was manageable. Thankfully, their opponents remained obediently unconscious.

Juvia could tell that the stress was getting to Wendy. The small girl was huddled by her side, slightly shaking. Juvia could do nothing but whisper reassurances in her ear. This was worse than Juvia could ever imagine. Even in Phantom Lord, where they committed acts of questionable honour, she never experienced such chaos and destruction like this.

So this was what it felt like to be a dark guild.

The small whispers in the wind served as Juvia's only warning before the roof of their warehouse blew apart in a flaming explosion, revealing the night sky. Despite her shock, Juvia managed to push Wendy to the ground, shielding her from the falling debris above. She made a barrier of water around their bomb, hoping that would be enough to protect it.

She only had a few seconds before the next two rockets arrived. They whistled into the warehouse, but to Juvia's surprise, neither of them headed for her nor their bomb. Instead, the two rockets exploded near the front and the back entrances of the warehouse.

Exactly where they left Eisenwald's unconscious members.

" _O-Oh! Fukuro has removed the final five Eisenwald members from the match, even after incapacitation. The bloodlust in the air is simply…delicious!"_

Wendy screamed in horror and Juvia turned to the sky. A man with an owl's head hovered over the warehouse on a jet pack.

Juvia shouted at him in pure anger. "WHY?!" Those people were already incapacitated. There was no more need to attack them. To kill them. That was pure evil.

"Weak members deserve to be removed from the game," the man said. "THAT is my code of justice. Hooo. My name is Fukuro. As the warrior of justice, I am honoured to take you two out of the game as well."

"Juvia will not let you hurt any of her guildmates! Water Slicer!" The arc of water hurled towards the owl man, but he managed to dodge. He countered with a missile from his pack, flying straight towards her.

Juvia stood her ground, watching as the missile through straight through her water body, colliding into the wall behind her with a loud explosion. "Juvia's body is made of water. Physical attacks like yours is useless."

"Hoo, hooo," Fukuro replied. "What an amazing ability. And how…unfortunate." He launched another missile down from the sky.

"Juvia already said, that attack won't work on Juvia!"

But the missile didn't head towards Juvia. No, instead, it flew straight for Wendy.

Juvia turned around and shouted her name.

Wendy's cries pierced the air. Smoke and fire filled the warehouse, blinding the water woman, rendering her unable to locate her teammate. Guilt and horror laced her soul until she heard the smallest of voices coming out from within the smoke.

"I-I'm fine."

The smoke cleared in a large gust of wind, revealing the small dragon slayer. Her feet had dug into the ground and her arms were crossed in front of her. Somehow, she had survived the blow.

"Don't worry about me Juvia!" Wendy cried out. "I-I reinforced my defense with magic." The girl straightened up, glaring daggers at the man in the sky. "I-I want to help! I won't let you hurt Juvia either." The girl swallowed a huge amount of air in her lungs.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

The burst of air travelled towards the flying man. Fukuro dodged the attack, but Juvia was faster.

"Water Slicer!"

Fukuro, unable to dodge the subsequent blade of water, was hit directly. Losing control of his jetpack, he fell to the ground in a loud crash. Juvia quickly ran towards the man, prepared to deliver a finishing blow, when another loud screech filled the air. Still injured from the banshee, Juvia held her head in pain and screamed.

That noise sounded strangely like a screeching guitar.

Juvia glanced all around her, but couldn't notice where the sound was coming from.

But up in the stands, it had been all but obvious.

"Cheater!" Natsu shouted, glaring at the one of the men standing in Death Head Caucus' booth. The man had long, dark hair and punk-rock makeup on. He carried an electric guitar on his person. It was obvious the sound came from him. "That's against the rules."

Both the man and the crowd laughed around him.

"What rules?" the man replied with a dark smile. He raised his hand and strummed the strings again. The sound waves aimed straight for the abandoned warehouse below.

Juvia couldn't take it anymore. _J-Juvia's ears...it hurts so much! It hurts!_ She was in so much pain. Tears collected in her eyes, but she didn't dare shed them. She couldn't show weakness now. Not when she had someone to protect.

But Juvia was incapable of doing anything. She couldn't even move her limbs.

Fukuro returned to his feet. He faced her. "It's time for you to face justice." He leapt towards her.

Somewhere behind her Juvia thought she heard the words, "Enchant: Re-Raise!" The screeching dulled, but even then Juvia wasn't fast enough to dodge. But just before the man reached her, a flash of blue moved in front of Juvia.

"Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy's kick hit its mark, slamming the owl straight into the ground.

"W-Wendy…"

"I'll protect you Juvia!" Wendy shouted. She enchanted Arms and Vernier onto herself, increasing her strength.

* * *

Exhausted rolled off Erza in waves. Wounds were littered across her body and she could smell her own blood in the air. No matter what armour, Ikaruga managed to destroy them all with the strange sword she held. None of Erza's attacks were making its way through. She simply didn't have enough power.

She tried another one of her armours: Purgatory Armour. It was one of her strongest. It was her last hope.

"Still haven't given up?" Ikaruga laughed.

"Never."

The pair leapt towards each other and collided in an explosive blast. The glass walls around them trembled from the pressure, threatening to break. Swing after swing, the two swordswomen traded blows, neither of them giving way.

Ikaruga made a wide sweep for Erza's side, but the redhead quickly blocked the blow before countering with a swing for her legs. Ikaruga dodged quickly, leaping over the blade and flipping backwards. In the midst of her dodge, the woman swung upwards, making a clean strike straight into the glass above.

Both women immediately leapt backwards as the glass was cut open. Water crashed down like a bloody waterfall, flesh and all. The sickening scent of copper and iron saturated the air.

Her vision having been blocked by the blood, Erza had no time to dodge the swing as Ikaruga burst out through the waterfall like a red witch. Her armour shattered upon contact and Erza was ill-prepared for the subsequent attack. Her scream filled the air as Ikaruga's katana stabbed her clean through her abdomen. Pain overwhelmed her senses, leaving Erza defenseless as the woman ripped the blade from her body and kicked her away.

Erza flew across the walkway, colliding with the ground in a painful roll. She choked on the iron-like taste of her own blood as it rose up her throat. She looked across the walkway and let out a choked laugh as she saw the wound on Ikaruga's shoulder.

 _At least I managed some damage._

Erza's fate had been sealed the moment she showed the smallest hint of hesitancy. That wasn't something her enemy would have shown her.

The rest of the water drained away into the walkway and area below and the night sky was revealed overhead. Erza struggled to remain conscious as she watched Ikaruga approach. The only sound she could hear was the women's shoes against the metal walkway. _Clang. Clang. Clang._

Erza reached for her sword, which was lying just inches away from her fingers, but it soon was kicked away by the woman.

 _Is this the end?_

The tip of Ikaruga's katana pressed against her throat. The woman's other hand was cradling her injured shoulder. "I'll have to admit, you were much more entertaining than the others. You've even managed to inure me. I'm…impressed." Erza winced as the blade drew blood from her neck.

"Unfortunately," Ikaruga smiled. "This is the end for you."

The woman lifted her sword.

* * *

It wasn't enough. Fukuro proved much too hardy for the young dragon slayer. Her hits were unable to provide enough damage to his body. She tried again and again. Punch, kick, roar. In the end, Wendy was left with barely enough energy to stand, panting from exhaustion.

She collapsed to her knees.

"I do hope that is all," Fukuro said. Two missiles were once again aimed towards them.

Fear dominated Juvia's senses. Fear for her own life and the life of her teammate.

She was going to die.

 _No._ She had to do something. Anything! There has to be a way out of this.

Her eyes snapped wide open. The bomb!

 _If the team's bomb is detonated, the team can no longer participate and remaining participants will be removed from the game_

Juvia had to detonate the bomb. Using the last of her strength, she pulled herself up, turning away from the enemy and running straight for the explosive. She wasn't sure if she had enough power left to destroy it, so she had to rely on something else. It was dangerous and reckless, especially with Wendy still here, but she had no other choice. She had to take the risk.

Fukuro seemed to sense what she was thinking. "I refuse to let you leave this game!" The missiles fired, both aiming for Juvia.

The moment Juvia heard the whistle of the rockets behind her, she smiled. "You forgot Juvia's most important property." She turned her body to water and watched as the rockets passed straight through her and towards the bomb. In the last few seconds, Juvia removed the water barrier over the explosive, returned her body to its flesh form and dived towards Wendy, who was lying only ten feet away.

Juvia didn't dare change her body back to water. No, she had to protect Wendy.

Wendy's face contorted into horror and at the last second, she shouted. "Enchant: Armor!"

Juvia didn't know if that would be enough to protect her, but she didn't care. Juvia had done many bad things during her time in Phantom Lord. It was time for her to repay them all back.

In her last moment, Juvia thought she had heard Gray-sama's voice the chaos.

"JUVIA!"

* * *

The last thing Erza saw before her eyes closed was the glint of the blade in the moonlight.

* * *

The explosion rocked the entire coliseum to its core, filling the arena with terrifying light.

One ear-piercing scream rose above the noise, overshadowing the sound of steel clashing against metal.

"JUVIA!"

Natsu and Gajeel had to hold Gray back as he attempted to jump over the railing to Juvia's aid. The rest of them stood in complete disbelief and horror.

The cloud of dust and debris over the warehouse dispersed and to the team's shock, neither Juvia nor Wendy was there.

"No way…"

"It can't be…"

"They're gone," Natsu whispered. His trembling hands clenched into tight fists before he slammed them into the railing. "Damn it!"

Lucy, just as shaken as the rest of the team, turned towards the aquarium. To her utter surprise, Erza was also missing. _Huh?_

The speakers screeched as the voice returned. _"Spriggan's bomb has been detonated! The team is now disqualified…"_

"Who the hell cares about that anymore!?" Natsu bellowed.

 _"…and the remaining team members will be returned to their stand!"_

"Returned?" Levy said, with a hint of hope.

Lucy felt a tingle of magic before she heard the thud behind her. Spinning around, she gasped when she saw the three bodies lying there.

"Erza, Wendy, Juvia!"

Alarmed, she ran over to the three women. A quick check reaffirmed her hopes. "They're still alive!" Erza and Juvia were both unconscious, one still spilling blood from her abdomen and the other covered in intense burn wounds. Wendy, to her relief, was still conscious, albeit disoriented. Despite that, she was the first to respond. Crawling over to Juvia, she immediately proceeded to heal the water mage of her life-threatening wounds.

Down in the aquarium below, Ikaruga scoffed, a look of annoyance apparent on her face. She pulled her katana out from metal walkway before glancing up to the Spriggan stands. Disappointed, she left the aquarium, heading towards her final stop.

Everyone else in the Spriggan stands moved fast. Gray materialized on the other side of Juvia, face contorted in worry and panic. He wanted to help, but Wendy needed space to work. Mira quickly pushed her way over to Erza with the first aid kit. Her and Levy worked as fast as they could to patch up the gaping wound in Erza's stomach.

The rest of them watched over in worry. The crowd around them in the stands did nothing but laugh and jeer at how weak they were. Lucy had to hold Natsu back from attacking any of the bystanders. It would do them no good to start a fight now. They needed to tend to the others. She dragged him away from the mess and back towards the railing.

"The game isn't over," Lucy reminded him.

"What does it matter anymore," Natsu said through gritted teeth. His hands were committed to a death grip on the railing.

Laxus came over to join them, pain written just as clear on his face. His voice was heavy with emotion. "We will watch for our comrades who fought hard for our guild. If we are to have a chance to survive the other events, we need to get a better understanding of our enemies."

 _Enemies, not opponents._ Lucy thought. _Right._ The three of them continued to watch. It was clear that Ikaruga and Fukuro planned to meet up at their last target. The one man from the one guild that had been left out of all the commotion.

" _Oh! It seems like the two members of Death Head's Caucus are now converging on the final guild left!"_

Doriate from Succubus Eye.

The two members from Death Head's Caucus reunited in front of the abandoned hospital on the north side of the arena. Together they entered the building. Doriate, not having moved from his spot since the beginning of the game, waited for them on the top floor. Everyone had a perfect view of the floor, seeing as Doriate blew it open at the start of the match. He sat with his back against the bomb, eyes closed.

They opened the moment the pair entered the floor.

"Can't say I'm surprised," Doriate said with a smirk. "Though, you do seem a little more…roughed up than I expected."

"Hooo. We ran into a little trouble on the way here, that's all," Fukuro responded. "It wasn't anything justice couldn't handle."

Ikaruga stepped up. "Well, now that the flies were taken care of. Let's get this over with, shall we?"

" _Just like prior year, the final showdown in this year's first event features Ikaruga and Doriate!"_

Doriate smirked. "Well, we all know what the outcome was last year." He laughed when he saw Ikaruga's twisted expression. "Unfortunately," he said as he slowly moved to his feet. "This wasn't quite the stage I wanted. So, I guess we'll just have to wait."

"Don't you dare-!"

Doriate's fist slammed into his own bomb.

Lucy watched in shock as a second explosion erupted from the arena floor. Fire blazed upwards from the hospital roof and the two Death Head's were blown backwards. The crowd went silent for once, stunned from the outcome of this event.

When the flames died down, Doriate was still standing perfectly unharmed on the hospital roof.

"What the-" Laxus said. "Is that monster even human?"

Doriate dematerialized off the rooftop a few moments later. Like what happened with Erza, Wendy and Juvia, he reappeared in Succubus Eye's booth. His other two teammates didn't seem affected by his decision to withdraw.

"What did he do that for?" Natsu asked, bewildered. His eyes darted between the rooftop and the competitor's stand.

"He's playing the game," Lucy said quietly. "Two against one is too big of a risk for him. Especially this early in the tournament." That man was smart.

" _O-Oh! How…disappointing. I guess that means the end of the first tournament!"_ Despite the uneventful end of the event, the crowd was still hooting and cheering, high off the bloodshed. _"The winner of the first round and awarded with two extra points is: Death's Head Caucus!"_ The crowd went wild.

The scoreboard reanimated above the stadium, adjusted for the outcome of the first match.

 **STANDINGS**

 **1st Place:** Spriggan **Points:** 8

 **2nd Place:** Death's Head Caucus **Points:** 7

 **3rd Place:** Eisenwald **Points:** 5

 **4th Place:** Succubus Eye **Points:** 3

"Eight," Natsu said, breathless.

 _Eight._ Two less than ten, with which they had started. Lucy glanced behind her towards Juvia and Erza. A strange part of her heart gripped and twisted as she watched them in pain. She felt angry and pissed off at what happened to them.

She couldn't believe it, but for once, she found herself caring a lot more about the people around her than she should. It was unsettling.

That feeling only grew when she glanced up at the scoreboard again.

"We're the ones with the highest points," Lucy noted.

"That means they'll be gunning for us next," Laxus added. "We need to be prepared."

She nodded. It was only day one and Lucy could tell their team morale had been devastated. The event was a deathly wake-up call to those who didn't get the message from the preliminaries the night before. No one was going to play fair here. No one was going to show any mercy. If they wanted to get out of this alive, they needed to give it everything they got, and then some.

" _Tehe, the first event is now over! Contestants will be returned to their hotels. Guests feel free to enjoy the festival in the tournament grounds! Don't forget, Oracion Seis will be opening up their tent tonight!"_

Just before their team was transported back to the hotel, Lucy turned to Laxus.

"It's clear now isn't it."

"...Yeah."

"Our goal isn't to win anymore. Our goal is to survive."

* * *

 ** _A/N: Man that was tougher to write than I thought. Combat scenes completely exhaust me. I didn't intend to take it this far, but the scenes with Juvia and Erza seemed to write themselves. I also didn't intend to make it so gory and imagining the aquarium scenes kinda grossed me out even as the writer, sorry about that._**

 ** _The first event was inspired by Call of Duty's online multiplayer option: Search and Destroy, though with magic in replace of guns. I've really appreciated the suggestions some of you have given me and I'm looking to incorporate them into the second event._**

 ** _Let me know what you thought!_**

 ** _Until the next chapter!_**


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